What's the best choice?
by Liloexp626
Summary: Stitch fell in love with an experiment called Krista a long time ago, but after losing her he falls in love with Lilo. When he wants to tell Lilo about his feelings, he finds again Krista alive, which will lead him to ask himself: What's the best choice?
1. Prologue

_**WHAT'S**__** THE BEST CHOICE? **_

_Prologue_

_Love hurts_

-Stitch, please, stop!!!! That naga fair, 'cause meega naga as fast as Stitch!!!!- shouted Krista, while she was trying to catch Stitch, whom was running around the beach.

Stitch gave her a tender smile, while he reduced the speed which he was running. He remembered that two months ago, Lilo and he had found Krista, exactly the same night which all the experiments pods had been released. In fact, Stitch was about to run over her with the car. They tried to take her with them, but there was a problem: she had the power of petrify anybody she wants to, so when she tried to petrify Stitch with a flash, he just moved away, but unfortunately the flash reached Lilo, whom wasn't able to even move. Stitch quickly captured her in the container they had in the car. While he drove toward their house, there began to rain. Stitch growled, because he didn't like the water, but then he noticed that water released Lilo from paralysis. They turned Krista from evil to good, and there started a great friendship between them, but especially between Stitch and Krista. Stitch had become to feel something special about her, and she looked to feel the same way, but he was afraid to tell her his feelings, because he wasn't so sure about what it was. He never dared to tell her about it… not until that day… now, he was decided. Besides, that morning at the beach looked to be perfect to declare her his feelings. Stitch smiled while he reminded all that, but then something took him out from his thoughts: it was a pair of arms that was surrounding his neck:

-Got you!!!!!- shouted Krista. Lilo was feeding Pudge, so they were alone at the seashore.

-OK, Krista. Meega has a new game. Meega counts until 10, and while meega is counting, Krista hides herself- said Stitch, with a large smile in his face: he was going to do it.

-Oki-taka. But don't trick!!!!- smiled Krista

-Meega won't trick if Krista naga freezes Stitch- replied Stitch while he walked toward a palm tree -Hide!

Krista did as she was said-One, two, three…- counted Stitch.

When he reached the 10, he turned his head… Krista wasn't there.

-OK, I'm coming! - advised Stitch. Then he began to smell the ground. Soon, the smelling carried him toward a rock- Where are you, Krista????- mocked Stitch while he walked slowly toward the rock… slowly, slowly… and then he hopped behind the rock:

- Aloha!!!!!- shouted Stitch, expecting to see Krista there… but Krista wasn't there. Then he began to search her with the sight… then he heard a noise over him, in the palm tree:

-Got you!!!!!!!!- shouted Krista while she fell in Stitch's arms. Stitch jumped with the fright, and then Krista fell together with him to the ground.

-Ouch!!!! -moaned Stitch- Krista, are you OK? - asked Stitch, worried. Krista didn't answer, or even move- Uh-oh- blurted Stitch. Then he gazed for a better look.

-BOO!!!!!!!- shouted Krista, laughing.

-Krista!!!!! Don't ever do that: you scared me!!!! -Shouted Stitch while he was laughing.

- Let me help you- said Stitch, tending his hand toward her. Krista smiled; she took Stitch's hand and he pulled up her, but when he did it, their faces remained so near that practically their noses were touching. Krista blushed, while Stitch just dropped his head, ashamed. Then he realized that he was still holding her hand:

-Oh, soka- whispered Stitch, releasing Krista's hand.

-It's OK- replied Krista, softly.

Then they froze: either of them could move, and it wasn't Krista, because any flash hadn't been released, it was another thing, a kind of magic. Without realizing, Krista closed to Stitch, and he did the same. One more time, they were so near that they were now touching their noses; it was just like if a magnet were attracting one to each other. Stitch crossed his arms around Krista's waist, and she didn't resist to it; instead it, she crossed her arms around Stitch's neck; then Stitch took the initiative: he closed his eyes and let his heart lead his whole body, and then he touched her lips with his, in a soft, gently kiss. She closed her eyes too, and let the magic lead her whole body too. In that moment, the time froze; it was like if the time just stopped. There passed at least five minutes before they began to separate. When they were totally separate, Krista and Stitch, both, blushed. They were feeling too a little tickling in their stomachs, as if they had butterflies:

-M-meega is sorry, Stitch. Meega d-doesn't know what h-happened… it just happened-whispered Krista.

-Oh, don't worry, it's OK… m-meega can't deny that meega liked it- replied Stitch, smiling-Besides, meega can't deny that… that meega… that meega loves you- blurted Stitch.

Krista smiled- M-meega thinks that… meega loves you too.

Then Stitch hugged Krista, and she did the same. That was the first kiss that Stitch and Krista had in their lives, and for first time in their lives, they felt that feeling that is called love.

-Oh, wait. Meega… wants to give you something- said Stitch, stopping.

-What is it? -asked Krista.

Then, Stitch got out one of his arms, and in his hand he had a necklace with a little, blue pearl.

-Oh, Stitch… that's bootifa… and beautiful. Meega likes it!!!!-whispered Krista- Thanks- said while she closed to Stitch, hugged him and put a soft kiss in his lips.

-Stitch! There you are! Were you playing with Krista all the time? -said Lilo, whom was walking toward Stitch and Krista.

-Hum… yeah. Meega… was playing with Krista- said Stitch, while he gave a glance at Krista, and then smiled nervously.

-Well, that's good. I was beginning to be afraid. I thought that Gantu had captured you two-sighed Lilo- Come on, let's go home. Aren't you hungry?

-Well… maybe just a little- said Krista, while she grabbed Stitch's hand and then she began to walk toward home.

That night, Stitch and Krista were awakening the most of the night, looking at the stars, while they were holding their hands.

-Meega loves you, Krissy- said Stitch, squeezing Krista's hand.

-Meega loves you too, Stitch, but don't you think that meega and Stitch should being sleeping? -asked Krista-Meega thinks it's too late.

-Well, maybe just a little. Wanna go bed?-replied Stitch. Krista nodded. Then both stood up and went to their beds.

-Good night, boojibu- said Krista, blowing him a kiss.

-Good night, boojibu-sighed Stitch, with joy in his heart.

The next morning, very early (practically, at the dawn), Stitch and Krista got up for a hike at the beach.

-Hey, Krista, wanna take a snack? - asked Stitch.

-Well, we haven't taken the breakfast, so meega would like it- answered Krista.

Stitch grinned –Well, wait here, meega will bring breakfast –said, while he walked toward an ice cream store. But Stitch couldn't even imagine that it was the last time he could see Krista. He felt something, like a premonition, but he didn't take too much care about it. When he returned where he had left Krista, he didn't found her. Then he reminded that premonition he had, and then he began to be worry:

-Krista???? –Cried Stitch- Where are you????? Krista!!!!!!!

Then he feared that Krista would have been kidnapped by Gantu, but there wasn't any kind of footprint that Gantu would have done. While he was being invaded by panic, something caught his attention: he saw that Cannonball was making some waves. Then he thought in another option: some wave could have taken away Krista. Then he ran toward Cannonball:

-CANNONBALL!!!!!!!!!!

-Oh, aloha Stitch. Are you OK? Because you look like if somebody were chasing you or something worse.

Then Stitch grabbed him by his shoulders. He was so scared that he didn't realized what he was doing:

-Have you seen Krista?

-Well, a few minutes ago she was here, but meega doesn't know where she is.

-Uh-oh. Then… wave took away Krista- whispered Stitch. He really wished to be able to swim, so he would look for Krista, but since he knew he wasn't able to swim, he hadn't any chance to find Krista. Stitch was shattered, he couldn't think well. So he just sat in the sand and dropped his ears. Then, suddenly, he got an idea:

-Cannonball, can you swim?

-Yes, of course.

Stitch grinned:

-Can you help Stitch to find Krista? Meega just wants you to swim and try to find Krista.

-Oki-taka. Aloha!!!!!- shouted Cannonball while he disappeared under the water.

One week later, Stitch was still waiting for some miracle. He couldn't eat, sleep, or do anything without think about Krista. She hadn't appeared yet.

-Stitch! Cannonball wants to see you- advised Lilo, taking him out from his thoughts.

-Aloha, Cannonball!

-Hum, aloha Stitch.

-So, have you found Krista? Have you found Krista? - cried Stitch, waiting for a good new. But Cannonball just dropped his head. Then Stitch understood.

-Meega is so sorry, but meega just found this- said, while he took out a pink necklace with a small, blue pearl.

-Krista- cried softly while he took the necklace, and then a big tear fell in the floor.

-Thanks for your help, Cannonball- said Stitch sadly, now tears were filling his eyes. Cannonball just walked toward the door, while Stitch closed it. He felt a great emptiness in his heart now, and a great pain made him shake his whole body. "I will keep you in my heart always, Krista" he thought. Lilo heard the conversation, as she heard too the bad new, so she just walked next to Stitch and hugged him. Stitch was crying silently, and he hugged Lilo too. He really needed to be comforted. "I won't be in love anymore. Love hurts, and I don't want to be hurt. I will resist the love" he thought while he squeezed the necklace in his hand. He was now so shattered that he had taken that decision: resist the love.


	2. Chapter 1

_**WHAT'S THE BEST CHOICE?**_

_Chapter 1  
Unnoticed love_

Dear Diary:

Excuse me if I hadn't written these last days, it's just that I'm worried about Stitch, so I haven't been able to think in something more important than this.

I'll tell you: Stitch is so shattered since Krista disappeared, (he thinks that some wave took her away) so he's having a kinda depression that doesn't let him to be happy. He has changed: he doesn't joke, he doesn't eat, he doesn't sleep, and all the time he's sighing or crying, so he locks himself in Jumba's spaceship until he wants to calm down some needing, like quench his thirst, and then he disappears again. I have told it to Jumba, but he always says "Little girl, do not worry, 626 is just having a new adjustment in his physiologic functions, it is absolutely normal", but I feel something is wrong with him. Each time I see him at his eyes, even if he hasn't pupils, I can see in them a sorrowful sight. It doesn't interfere when we need to capture some "cousin", unless the cousin is a female. I have noticed that he tries to avoid any female that is trying to be friendly with him, but I think it's because he is still feeling bad about Krista, and he can't stand either to be near of the sea, or even look at it, is like if he could have taken a lot of hate towards that thing he considers has taken away from him a… a _mate_. I had noticed that he… had become to feel something especial about her, maybe it coulda been love. Ya know? I'm really sad for Stitch, I would wish to help him, but his heart is so far away from the mine that is too hard to be even next to him, and I feel just like if I were going to die when I see his sadness. I love him, I know, but this is becoming to be more than just a friendship or brotherhood love… at least I'm feeling like that, but I'm not the one for him, because we aren't the same specie… my love to him was proven when he had that glitch-like problem, I thought I just lost him. This is similar in a certain way, he isn't having a problem with his body… it's his heart. I think he has **not** noticed that love I'm feeling about him… I just would want him to love me just as much as I do, but he doesn't love me that way, he loves me just as a friend. I'm so shattered when I think about this, maybe I will be never his heart's owner.

That's all from now.

_Lilo_

000000000000000000000000000000000

Dear Diary:

I just can't believe it!!!!!!!! Remember I told you Stitch didn't want to be close to any female experiment since Krista disappeared? Well, I have two news, one is a good one, and the other is a bad one. The good one is that even if Stitch _was_ (please, note the emphasis here) refusing to fall in love again he had overcame his depression and even he was thinking like a little boy whom dislikes the girls. Well, here comes the bad one: before yesterday, Pleackley was watching at the TV a program about "love" (actually, it was a boring program about girls being in love with two guys at the same time!). Stitch immediately reminded Krista, but it wasn't too remarkable, and immediately he rejected Pleackley's love idea and he made a face. I told him that "you gotta believe in love", but he kept his idea until he saw_ her_… he named her "Angel", because he saw her just like an angel, but I don't think so about her… I think she's bad… I told him he gotta believe in love because I was beginning to have a hope of chance with him, but I never thought he would fall in love with another experiment! I think I'm jealous, and I'm ashamed because it. I shouldn't pressing him to love me, it's just that I'm afraid he could choose Angel, because if he does, he will never realize how much I love him!!!! Well, yesterday the Big-Stinky head captured her, and Stitch is so sad, but this isn't the same sadness he had about Krista, I guess it's because then he thought she was dead, and now it's different with Angel, because he knows she **isn't** dead, she's alive (unfortunately). Sorry, I can't avoid those kinda ideas, I'm jealous, I know, and in fact I was a bit jealous about Krista too. Well, now Stitch is deeply in love with Angel, and now he has his own Angel's gallery (he thinks it's secret, but I've seen him when he kisses the photos when he thinks I'm asleep). Now I just try to support his feelings about Angel, but sometimes it's just too hard… sometimes I have thoughts… "If only he couldn't ever have known her" or "If only he couldn't ever have noticed her" or even "I would wish… If only I were an experiment so I could show him how much I love him", that kinda thoughts crosses over my mind whenever I see him kissing her photos, or whenever I can't sleep, or whenever I hug him. This is too hard to stand… just imagine to see your loved one being after another person… this is beginning to kill me slowly… and I can't support to smile when I just want to yell, to cry…

That's all from now.

_Lilo_


	3. Chapter 2

_**WHAT'S THE BEST CHOICE**_

_Chapter 2_

_Confusing feelings_

**Two**** years later**

Stitch sighed while he removed all the Angel's pictures he had on his sanctuary. He was a little bit sad, because he expected Angel and he to be together, but there was the big deal: she fell in love with someone else, and he was pretty mad at first, but then he understood that Angel was truly in love, they became nothing but friends. Now they're just good friends. Of course, she's not as good friend as Lilo. And the one Angel loved returned the feeling, and that was good after all. Stitch even thought that maybe he was never in love with her; maybe it was a merely physical attraction. Then he set the last picture in the box, the one that said "for 627". Hey, maybe it coulda sounded a little odd, but even if Jumba thought 627 would never become good, Angel changed the probabilities and turned him from bad to good. 627 fell in love with her while she was trying to teach him how to be good, and after a time, she fell in love with him too.

Stitch smiled "Well, she would never have been my boojibu, but at least she was worthy for 627" he thought in his own language. Then he remembered Lilo: "Yeah, Lilo. She was always with me when I needed to be comforted. She was there when Angel and I did break up, as well as she was there when…" Then he swallowed hardly saliva. He remembered Krista "Krista… I hadn't thought about her for a long time… but past time is there: at the past. Besides, it's supposed I overcame that situation. That shouldn't hurt me" he thought and shook his head, as if he would want to forget that. It was always sad to remember Krista.

-Stitch, have you…? - asked Lilo while she exited the elevator, but then she stopped when she noticed the upset looking in Stitch's fluffy face –It's alright Stitch?

-Hum, yeah, meega… just reminding about… don't worry Lilo. Stitch OK- lied Stitch

-Stitch, I know you since I was a six-year-old girl; I know when you're upset. It's because Angel?

-N-no, it's just…-then Stitch sighed. He didn't want to admit that he was upset because all those memories- Ih, it's because Angel. Meega little bit sad, but meega happy too, because Angel found true love.

-OK, if you say, but please, if something upsets you, you can tell me. That's why we are friends: for being there when one needs each other to be comforted- Lilo said, feeling that Stitch wasn't completely genuine.

She sighed and walked towards the elevator, but something compelled her to return, maybe it was the sad expression in Stitch's face, and gave him a peck in the cheek. She blushed slightly and ran towards the elevator to escape from Stitch's amazed glance. Stitch couldn't help to blush a little bit too, but Lilo didn't notice it thanks to his fur. He saw how Lilo disappeared in the elevator, and then touched with his hand the spot in his face Lilo kissed and smiled. He could still feel Lilo's lips in his cheeks, and unconsciously tried to imagine how would be having her lips in his own, instead his cheek. Suddenly he shook his head "How could I even imagine that? Lilo is just my friend, no more, no less." he scolded to himself, and concentrated his mind in finish his task. There had passed about two months since Hamsterviel and his army of Leroys was defeated, and in that lapse of time Stitch and Lilo had become closer than ever (it was because Angel's thing, ya know), and Stitch had developed strong feelings around Lilo, those feelings that he had first with Krista and Angel, or even stronger. He feared unconsciously he was in love, because each time he fell in love, it finished in a bad way.

While Stitch was arranging his stuff and gathering them, Lilo was lost in her mind too. She sighed while walking outside. Some times she needed to breathe fresh air so she could think well, but anyway it didn't work this time "Why I did that? What was I thinking about?" She thought, remembering the kiss she gave Stitch. She imagined herself in Stitch's arms and kissing him on his lips passionately "No, that's just impossible. He loves me just as a friend. If for some reason he returns the feeling, it wouldn't work because the species thing" she said to herself and walked back to her house. "Why love is so difficult?"

Meanwhile, Stitch had finished with his task and took on his arms the box with his old sanctuary. He walked into the elevator, and when he was downstairs Lilo ran into his arms and fell to the ground in the top of him, causing the content of the box scatter over the floor.

-Lilo, you OK? - asked Stitch, lifting his face to see if Lilo was OK.

-Hum, yeah, I was just going to… well, actually I forgot where I wanted to go- she said smiling ashamedly while blushing and tried to stand up.

She put her arms next to Stitch's sides for support herself, but when she tried to push herself up, her face remained so near to Stitch's that she could feel his warmth breath on her face. She stared into his sweet black eyes and saw a look full of love and shame too. Stitch felt his heart bumping inside his chest so fast and so strong that he didn't know if his heart had stopped to beat when he felt Lilo's lovely eyes stare into his black ones. He saw her honey-like eyes full with shame and confusion and saw her cheeks turning into scarlet. He also felt her hair scent flowing in his whole body and her breath on his face. Just for a second he thought he had heard her heart beating too fast inside her chest. Then, for some reason they broke the trance they were lost in.

-I'm sorry Stitch. I didn't notice you were there. Want me to help you?

-Well, OK. Lilo can help me- he said, standing up.

They gathered all the photos and little pieces of plastic. Then Lilo saw the last photo in the floor and reached it with her hand, just at the same time Stitch reached it whit his hand too.

-Oops, sorry- said Stitch taking away his own hand from Lilo's.

-Nah, don't worry Stitch. It's OK- she said smiling lovingly- By the way, do you want me to go with you to deliver those things?

-Yeah, if you can, then meega glad Lilo go with Stitch- replied with a big grin on his face.

They got into the buggy and prepared to go to Angel's home. Now she was working in a recording studio, so she gotta be at home in that moment. While they were going to their destiny, each one of them was lost in their own thoughts. Lilo sighed while she felt the soft breeze caressing her face and taking off her hair from her forehead, then saw at the box she had in her lap. Then she remembered when Stitch used to love Angel with all his heart and soul. She knew it had been painful to him to break up with Angel, as well as he lost Krista. She saw how the sun was setting behind the blue sea.

"Would I have been able to kiss him if we would stay there a few seconds more?" she thought while she gave a glance at Stitch's uneasy face. He loved usually to feel the breeze caressing his large hears while driving the buggy, but he wasn't thinking about the breeze in that moment. He was thinking about what happened a few minutes before. He remembered how Lilo's eyes stared at his. "I think if we would have been there just five or ten seconds more, I surely would've kiss her" Thought while he remembered lively Lilo's honey-liquid-like eyes staring into his eyes lovingly and blushing. Her blushing. He loved the way she used to blush: she looked so pretty, so beautiful… "Hey, wait a minute; where it came from?" asked to himself in his mind "where did I take from I would've kiss her?" He shook his head one more time.

-Stitch, it's all right? - asked Lilo when she saw how Stitch shook his head.

-Yeah, meega just a little drowsy. Just need to rest- lied Stitch.

-Hum, well, OK- said Lilo, getting lost again in her thoughts.

After a couple of minutes, they were already in Angel's house. They knocked at the door twice, until they heard steps coming from inside. Then someone opened the door: it was Angel, with another one wrapping her shoulders. This guy was an experiment orange colored, with a big cone-like head and it looked very similar to Stitch except for those details.

-Aloha Angel, aloha, hum, 627? – said Lilo, without knowing what to say. She hadn't still named 627, so she refers to him by his number.

-Aloha Lilo, aloha Stitch- replied Angel, smiling- you can pass. Meega… glad to see you again- she said, striving to remember how to speak well.

They entered the house. Stitch explained they were there to deliver his old things to 627, whom was Angel's new boojibu.

-Hey, we've never named him. Wouldn't you like to have a name 627? - Lilo said while smiling at 627.

-Ih, ih, ih!!!!!!!! Meega wants a name!!!!!!!!!- shouted 627 joyfully.

-Well, let's see. What about "Zeus"?

-Naga.

-Hum, maybe "Clark", like Clark Kent? - suggested Stitch. 627 just moved his head refusing the name.

-Well, maybe "Hercules"? – asked Angel. 627 refused again.

-I know!!! Do you like "Elvis", after Elvis Presley? - shouted Lilo. 627 looked like if he were thinking about it and after a while he nodded:

-Ih, ih, ih, Elvis!!! Meega likes Elvis!!!- shouted happily while jumping.

-Well, we have to leave. It's getting late, and Nani will get angry if I'm not there before dinner- realized Lilo- Aloha Angel, aloha Elvis!!!

-Aloha Lilo, aloha Stitch!!!- replied Angel. She was happy now because her boojibu had a name already.

Lilo and Stitch arrived just in time for dinner. Nani was waiting for them.

-Well, I thought you will be never in time for dinner, but you were lucky- said Nani greeting them and kissing her little sister.

-There's nothing impossible for Stitch when he's decided- replied Lilo with a big smile on her face.

After dinner, Lilo and Stitch went to their room for sleep. At first they didn't want to, but Nani forced them by the force (That sounds too like Hamsterviel said, doesn't it?)

While Stitch was making his cot, a little necklace flew by the air while he shook his sheets, and fell forward Lilo's feet. She picked it up and recognized what it was, but she wanted to see if Stitch still loved Krista.

-Stitch, I think you forgot to give Angel this necklace. It's her necklace, doesn't it?

Stitch lifted his head to see what Lilo wanted to show him. When he saw the necklace, he ran towards Lilo and snatched it from Lilo's hands.

-It's not. It's Krista's necklace- whispered Stitch, upset.

-I thought you had got rid of all the things that belonged to Krista. I'm sorry. I didn't know it- apologized Lilo.

-Doesn't matter. Stitch will be OK- he said bitterly and growling. He didn't like to remember the past. Lilo understood it and cuddled herself in her bed.

-Night Stitch- she whispered, wishing she could help him somehow. Stitch didn't reply.

He kept Krista's necklace under his pillow. He still loved her, even if he knew she probably was dead. Then he thought about Lilo "Lilo. Why? She doesn't deserve it. Am I in love with her?" he thought "No, I can't love her that way. She's different specie, it wouldn't work". With this thought, he cuddled himself in his cot. He didn't want to fall in love one more time just to get hurt… again.


	4. Chapter 3

_**WHAT'S THE BEST CHOICE?**_

_Chapter 3_

_What Love can do_

_"It was a starry night. The breeze was mild and was whispering between the palm trees. The waves were moving softly, as if they were dancing with the sea music._

_Stitch was staring at this silently night as he drove the buggy. Next to him, was a person with large, black hair, floating gracefully each time the breeze caressed it. Her beautiful eyes were similar in beauty to sea when gleam the stars in its deep water, and they had the color of a cup filled with coffee. Her cheeks flushing slightly and a calm smile rest in her face as she saw the moon just above them._

_Stitch couldn't help to get lost for a while in that beautiful eyes looking at him, as he couldn't help to get absent-mind in her blushed cheeks nor her calming smile. Her eyes told him everything: they told him how much love she felt for him. He felt his heart accelerating the beaten inside him. He never had felt something like this before._

_Then he looked back at the dusty road so he couldn't lost all his mind in that sample of beauty and love joined in that beautiful couple of eyes. Then he felt how she leaned her head in his shoulder. His heart hopped inside him and he felt a wonderful sensation flowing from his shoulder, as if a fire were burning from that spot her head had touched. He smiled slightly as he wrapped his arm around her waist and drew her near to him, as she cradled herself into his chest. He remembered how nearly he had been to have lost her in Hamsterviel's spaceship, a couple of hours ago. That thought made him to tighten the grip he had in her waist._

_They heard the calmly sounds that came from the waves dancing at the white sand of the beach. He lowered the velocity which he was driving with._

_He could feel his heart knocking against his chest when he felt her head lifting from his shoulder, and then he felt his heart was just going to melt down with the sweetness of those eyes looking at his black ones._

_He didn't know what he was doing; he just knew that he fell into a trance. He clearly heard something that demanded him to take a grip of her chin. He did, and then he began to draw her face close to his. She seemed to be into a trance too, and she closed slowly her eyes when she felt his hand drawing her close to his face. Their hearts were hopping inside them with such strength that he wondered if it just was going to jump out of him. He closed his eyes as he felt her warmth breath in his face. He leaned slightly his head so he could be more comfortable in that position. When his lips were a few inches away from hers, the buggy jerked hardly, causing them to withdraw one from each other._

_-W-what was that? –she asked nervously._

_-Don't know –Stitch answered._

_For Stitch, it was just like if he would've woken up from a large dream because the trance he was in. He jumped off the buggy to see what was going on. When he saw what had happened, he opened his mouth in awe: there was some kind of animal that had been run over by the car. Stitch wasn't sure if it was an animal, so he just activated his infrared pupils to see better than he could do with his normal sight. What he saw wasn't exactly an animal, it was an experiment. Stitch wanted to assure if she was right, so he approached to her, slowly and carefully, remembering that she was one of Jumba's experiment and that he didn't know how dangerous she could be. When he was about to shake her to see if she was alive, suddenly, as a lightning, the experiment got up and shot a kind of flash from her hands, but Stitch was faster than her moves and moved away just in time before the flash could have reached him. While the experiment was looking for Stitch with her sight, Stitch saw how the flash reached the black-haired person that was at the buggy. He saw how she froze, just like if someone would've turned her into a rock. Stitch was frightened for a while, but after a second he recovered himself and jumped off from the palm-tree he was hidden in, falling on top of the blue experiment and catching her._

_Some minutes after, the experiment was growling inside the glass capsule she was kept in. Stitch growled back at her and then looked at Lilo. Great, now how is he going to unfreeze her? While he was looking at her, he felt a little, cold drop running down his nose. He lifted his eyes just to see a huge cloud above all of them. He moaned; well, now he had to hurry home because now the rain was falling down the ground hardly._

_The little outing they had took that night seemed perfect to hunt some lost experiment, so while they were outing, Jumba, Pleackley and the rest had arrived home. Stitch was eager to arrive home so Jumba could say him how to unfreeze Lilo, but he got even more eager when the rain fell hardly in their heads as if Lilo were giving him a shower with cold water._

_-I know you don't like water Stitch, but you can't help the weather gets rainy –he heard someone talking at him._

_When he whirled his head, he saw Lilo smiling at him as she squeezed out some water from her hair. Stitch grinned._

_-So, do you think we need to ask Jumba about her? –she said when dried completely her hair._

_-Ih! –answered Stitch, taking in his shoulders the little glass accessory and carrying it inside home"_

-Stitch… - he heard in the distance. Then he felt someone shaking him.

-Stitch… come on, wake up friend… Stitch… -he heard, the sound grew louder.

-Stitch!!! Wake up, Stitch!!! I'm late for hula!!! –Lilo was shaking Stitch, trying to make him to wake up, but Stitch just moaned then turned his back to Lilo.

Lilo sighed heavily:

-OK, if you don't want to wake up right now then I'll be compelled to let you here suffering Pleackley's ways to make you wake up –Lilo menaced, smirking at him.

Stitch didn't think it twice; he just jumped out from his cot, still drowsy. He didn't like the Mondays at morning, but if there was something that bothered him more than Mondays at morning, it was Pleackley's out of tune voice singing old songs from his planet that sounded more like a torture method to oblige poor prisoners to reveal secrets about their war-mates.

While Lilo was getting dressed for hula with her grassy skirt and her red top, Stitch went downstairs to take his breakfast: a piece of pie or coconut cake with his hot coffee. When he felt the warmth steam on his face, he remembered his dream. He thought that the steam felt so similar to Lilo's breath on his dream that he thought for a few seconds he had again Lilo's face cupped in his hands and he was going to kiss her. Then he felt his lips scorching with the hot coffee and separated the cup from his mouth.

"Of course, I think Lilo wouldn't have scorched me like that" he thought, trying to relief his harmed lips with a glass filled with cold water.

-Bye Pleackley, bye Jumba!!! See you!!! –he heard a voice coming upstairs- Stitch, I'm ready, come on, let's go!!! –Lilo commanded.

Stitch still was moaning because the burning pain on his lips, and Lilo noticed that.

-What happened Stitch? –Lilo asked, half worried and half amused.

-Meega… got hurt –Stitch said groaning.

-OK, now what happened?

-Meega got scorch with coffee.

Lilo laughed sceptically- Do you mean…? But how did you…? It hadn't happened to you ever!!!

Stitch blushed. He remembered why he had get harm: it was because of imagination power -Well, meega… thoughtful… just that –he said, hoping Lilo wouldn't ask him more than he wanted to answer. Lilo shrugged.

-OK, I'll heal you. Where did you get hurt?

-What do you want to do?

-That's easy: I'll just kiss the spot where you did get hurt. Now tell me, where did you get hurt?

Stitch blushed more than ever- Huh, Stitch is sure Lilo won't do that.

-Why are you so sure?

-Because Stitch hurt his lips –Stitch lowered his head so she couldn't see his shame as well as his blushing.

-Well, that doesn't… did you say "your" lips? –Lilo asked nervously as she blushed.

One more time, Stitch thought she looked so pretty… now her cheeks matched with her red top. Stitch nodded, answering Lilo's question.

-W-well, I-I can't k-kiss your l-lips, but I can do something a-about t-that –Lilo assured as she approached to him.

Then he felt his heart beating hardly against his chest when he felt Lilo's breath on his face. He looked one more time at those beautiful eyes that had haunted his dreams several times… those coffee-like eyes that haunted him since she kissed his nose when he saved her from Gantu's mangled spaceship. He couldn't stand the look of her eyes and closed his eyes, just waiting.

By Lilo's side, she was really confused about what she was doing when she approached to Stitch. She resisted the urge to kiss his lips; she wanted it to be just an innocent kiss to "heal" his pain. Her mom used to do that with her when she got hurt, and she wanted to keep it just as what it was: an innocent healing kiss. She closed her lips to his nose, but Stitch was so nervous that he was trembling, so it caused Lilo to kiss him just below his nose but above his lips. It was a fast peck, but even so she felt a little bit guilty about it. She didn't even look at his face; instead she looked at the ground.

-OK, do you feel better?

Stitch opened his eyes. He was still trembling at the fact that Lilo had kissed him nearly in his lips.

-Hum, yeah, meega… much better. Thank you. –actually, he had forgotten that he had got hurt his lips with the hot coffee. He was able just to thing in nothing but the kiss Lilo gave him.

While they were rushing to the hula school with the buggy, Stitch thought about the things that had happened to him that day. He thought about the dream; it was what had happened the same night all the experiment pods had been released. It wasn't exactly a dream; it was exactly what had happened that night, it was more like a regard. He remembered he actually was going to kiss Lilo on her lips (maybe that was the reason she realized she loved him).

But then he remembered Krista again. Stitch sighed. He couldn't help to think still about her, because he loved her deeply. "She's still on my mind" he thought "I think I fulfilled my promise with you, Krista. I really would love to be falling in love with Lilo completely, but I think a part of my heart still belongs to you. I still love you, even if you're dead" he thought, trying hard to don't break down in crying, but he couldn't avoid a little tear rolled down through his cheek.

Lilo noticed it too, even if Stitch tried to deny that he was crying. Her mind didn't imagine why he was crying, but her heart told her it was because Krista. "Poor Stitch. I just want to be whom he really needs, but I think she has gone… she left two years ago. I could bet he still loves her. Why, Stitch? Why? Why I can't be the perfect match for you?" Lilo thought, as a little tear rolled down her cheek.

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Meanwhile, in a far, far away galaxy (no, it's not Star Wars), in a prison asteroid, a gerbil-like prisoner was trying hard to sleep while a crowd of red creatures that resembled to Stitch were dancing with their favorite Elvis' record: "Jailhouse Rock"

The annoyed prisoner was trying to ignore the loud music that was drilling his huge rabbit-like ears. Nothing could be done to get some sleep with such din.

-Aaargh, those evil experiments are REALLY evil!!! They cannot be even a second without moving!!!!!!!!!!!!!! –he said angrily- Will you just SHUT UP!!!!!!!! –he yelled, already at the verge of his patience.

Suddenly, the music halted, but it was just a few seconds before they began their "little" party. Hamsterviel growled again, covering his ears with a huge pillow, but it was useless. He laid down in his hard, cold cot, but then, he heard a noise that came from under his cot. He growled angrily, because he knew what was going on in that moment. It had happened to him five times the same week:

-Oh, no, I won't let you scoff me again!!!! Don't you know I am the doctor Jacques Von Hamsterviel???????? Now get out of my cell!!!!!!! Hey, that's not yours, evil and silly experiment!!!!!! Bad clones!!! Put me DOWN!!!!!!!!!!! –he yelled, seeing that a gang of five Leroys were "borrowing" a huge, hidden bag with some Coke cans and a huge marshmallows bag. Two clones lifted him in the air, while another three were transporting the cans and some bags that they found hidden in a secret compartment in the gerbil-faced criminal's cell. Then they entered into the huge hole they had opened in the cell floor so they could pass to their own cell. They knew they could escape from jail, but they didn't want to because they loved to annoy the little crazed gerbil with their inopportune visits, so they wouldn't go until the "boss" order it. Besides, there were so few cells at jail for the crowds of clones that the guards had been compelled to put in each cell at least ten Leroys.

-Taka, yeenka-tee faba!!!!!! –the last one yelled at Hamsterviel, staffing.

-I'm not fat, I'm chubby!!!!!! -yelled back with anger –Leroy, could you get back my stuff PLEASE?????? – Hamsterviel demanded disgusted to someone who was taking a nap in his cot.

-Grrrr… meega nala queesta –muttered Leroy bitter and dangerously. That Leroy was the original one, the unique one who wanted revenge on Stitch. Of course, all the clones wanted at first revenge too, but they got used to live at jail with the gerbil-face and never minded about it again. Only he was being burned with the hate fire, that fire that command everybody to take the most awful and dreadful revenges, but only a few of them think well about it and regret their revenge thirst just in time. He was being burn with that kind of revenge thirst, and he didn't want to regret it until he get his revenge and make Stitch pay all with the most dreadful possible way.

Leroy went to the lower cell. All what Hamsterviel could hear was the noise of kicks, punches and some groaning full of pain. That was good for Leroy. He could quench some of his revenge thirst punching some of his clones. They weren't increased by Dupe, but they weren't as smart, skill nor dangerous as the original Leroy. He really desired to have his revenge.

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-See you Elena!!! Aloha Teresa!!! Bye Yuki!!! Good-bye Mertle!!! –Lilo shouted happily as she waved her hand at her new friends. Since the entire Leroys thing Mertle had become friend of Lilo and learned how to understand the odd things she sometimes does. Meanwhile, Stitch was waiting for Lilo in the buggy, reading an old Superman magazine he had found abandoned. When he saw Lilo, he remained speechless. He felt again that odd sensation he had each time he saw at her: he felt a huge happiness and at the same time he felt nervously, ashamed.

-Hi, Stitch!

-Hum, hi-ie-e –Stitch said, just as if he wouldn't say anything else.

"Wow, Lilo looks so… beautiful. I had never seen her as beautiful as today she does" Stitch thought. He could see all the same things he saw on his dream about her: her raven hair, falling down behind her back just as a bright waterfall, her slightly blushed cheeks, and over all, those charming eyes he loved to see at. He tried to don't get absent-mind, but it was just impossible avoid to see that sample of beauty next to him. She looked even more beautiful at the noon light. "I think that's all" Stitch said to himself "I've fallen totally in love with Lilo". Then he thought in Krista again. "I know I still love you, Krista, but I think that Lilo has gained a place in my heart too" he thought, but as I said before, for him it was always sad to remember Krista.

When they arrived home, Stitch went upstairs at the dome. Lilo wanted to enter too, but Stitch didn't allow her. Lilo heard a weeping, and she knew what was going on. "I can't stand this anymore. I'm going to do something about this. Stitch, I promise that I'm going to heal you from this" Lilo thought determinately as she walked towards Jumba's spaceship.

Jumba was mixing some unknown substances in his laboratory when Lilo entered.

-Hi Jumba! –she greeted. Jumba fell down from his chair with the fright.

-Oh, hello, little girl!!! What brings you to my lab? –he asked happily.

-I… I need your help for something –Lilo said.

-Well, Jumba will be happy to do anything to make happy little girl –Jumba assured with a smile on his face.

-Anything? –Lilo asked with a mocked smirk on her face. Jumba giggled.

-Well, anything, less disguise myself as a tea pot and sing –he joked. Lilo lowered her face.

-But what's going on, little girl? Why are you so sad?

-It's because…

-Yes?

-It's because I'm… -Lilo sighed- I'm in love, Jumba.

-Oh, that's a good new!!!!! When is the wedding?

-No, Jumba, please, let me tell you who I'm in love with.

-OK –Jumba said as he sat again on his chair –Is someone I know?

-Oh yes. You do. And very well. You'll see, err, Jumba… I'm in love with Stitch…

-WHAT!!!!!!!!!!! –Jumba fell down one more time from his chair.

"I know it could happen, but I can't stand to see Stitch suffering" Lilo thought as she helped Jumba to stand up.

-Well, little girl, I have to accept that since the beginning I knew it could happen, so I prepared myself for that day –he said while he walked towards a secret  
compartment in the lab's wall. Then he took out a little bottle with a blue liquid inside it. –So I prepared it in case you or 626 fell in love one with each other. This liquid will change your DNA into the DNA of an experiment.

-Hey, wait a minute. How did you know I wanted to become an experiment?

-Well, you don't need to be an evil genius to know that between best friends grow a love that the most of times become true love… and some months ago I found your Diary… -then Lilo seemed to be very angry at the fact Jumba had read her Diary –Don't worry, little girl, Jumba just did read that part. I swear you.

Lilo rolled her eyes and sighed –Well, I believe you, Jumba. Then can you tell me how to become an experiment?

-Well, you just drink some of this liquid and wait a few seconds before your body recognize it and allow it pass through your body.

-OK, can we try it right now? –Lilo said impatiently.

-Of course.

Lilo took the little bottle from Jumba's hand. Before taste it, she smelled it. It didn't stink or anything. She was afraid, but then she thought about Stitch's grief.  
"That's for you, Stitch." She said on her mind and then drunk some of the liquid. Quickly, she felt how the icy liquid passed through her throat. Then she felt odd. She was drowsy.

-Hum, Jumba, why am I so… drowsy?

-I don't know little girl. Perhaps it's a side effect. If you want, you can sleep in the spaceship bed. I'll wake up you later OK?

-Hu-huh. OK. I'm gonna take a nap then. Night.

-Night, little girl –he whispered softly and then returned to his lab. "That's so logical. They are friends since they're younger, so it's logical she fell in love with 626. I wonder how will be her appearance" He thought as he returned to his chair, feeling he had done some good thing not only for Lilo, but for Stitch too.


	5. Chapter 4

_**WHAT'S THE BEST CHOICE?**_

_Chapter 4_

_A New Hope_

Leroy had done well his work. Now he was lying lazily on his cot, drinking some Coke that Hamsterviel had gave him as a reward. He burped loudly and looked at the now empty can. He clenched it on his hand.

Suddenly, he felt a burning pain on his hand and saw a magenta liquid on one of the sharp points of the shattered can. He saw then his hand: there was the opened flesh bleeding the magenta blood. Leroy growled in pain: he didn't like to feel that gross running down his hand.

Then he thought about Stitch: he collected some of his blood on the broken can and waited until it was enough to fill a little part of the remains of the can; he bared his sharp teeth while he began to trace Stitch's face on the lower part of the can, the single part that wasn't torn.

When his drawing was finished he buried his claw on Stitch's face with his harmed hand; the blood began to stain the silver part of the can and ran down over his arm as little streams. He smirked: he really desired to see Stitch's face bleeding like that, dying in total suffering and pain, begging for mercy while the last breathe of life escaped from his shattered body. Just thinking about it made him feel even more eager to take his revenge, to hurt, even to _kill_ him in the most dreadful way. But of course, there was something that was stopping him.

-LEROY!!!!! What is that gross??? How many times have I told you to don't mess up the cell??? –he heard a shrieking voice annoyingly scolding him. Leroy sighed heavily: that was the reason that was stopping him to do what he desired to do: the little gerbil-face.

When Hamsterviel noticed the annoyed expression in Leroy's face, he softened his voice:

-Well, I was going to… ask you for clean the mess, but I think you're a so loyal, err… friend, that I will reward you with something. Would you like to be… free  
and take revenge on that weakling 626?

Leroy perked his ears. Now he was listening completely the proposition that his "boss" was offering him.

Ih! -he mumbled bitterly while tossed the bloodstained can. Then the blood scattered over the metallic floor and formed a little puddle.

-Well, then I will help you to make that dream come true. You will be able to hurt… no, even better… to kill 626 in the most horrible and painful way. We just have to join our skills to escape from this stinky jail. You will use your force and I will use my intelligence to take revenge on that silly 626 and that weakling Earth-girl, who made us seem like losers. So, are you with me? –offered Hamstervil, and a big smirk marked his face.

-IH!!! Meega will kill 626!!! –shouted Leroy and a hatred look crossed his face.

-Oh no, no, no, no, my little friend. If what you want is to hurt 626 to death, you gotta attack first his heart. We just have to search something that he appreciates too much, or somebody is too dear for him. If we attack first the things he loves, then he will be heartbroken, and you know? The heart wounds hurts more than the physical wounds. That will be the perfect revenge!!!!!! After his little, sweet heart breaks in thousands of pieces, we will do him the biggest favor in his life: end with his suffer… killing him. Now come here, let's do some plan to escape from here…

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When Lilo opened her eyes, she didn't know at first where she was. She was still drowsy, and she strived to remember the last thing she saw, or said, or anything. Slowly, she remembered that some minutes ago Jumba had sent her to sleep because… because…

-Oh no!!! There must be dinner time and I'm not there!!! Nani will get mad at me if I'm not in time for dinner!!! –she shouted worriedly when saw through a window the starry night-sky and the silver moon floating in the Hawaiian sky. She then jumped out of bed and ran towards the exit door.

–Oh, Jumba, you promised me that you were gonna wake… AAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!

Lilo fell backwards while staring frightened at the room's mirror. There was the reflection of somebody in the darkness unknown to her. For the body's shape, she could have said that it was Stitch or Angel, but it wasn't any of them. The fur of the creature was dark, she wasn't sure if it was black or dark red… anyway she couldn't see well due to the darkness engulfing the room.

-Please, don't hurt me, I haven't done anything bad or… -Lilo begged while cuddling herself and closed her eyes. She didn't even dare to see the reflection, but she gathered all her courage and opened slowly her eyes to see who was there… but then she saw that the one reflected in the mirror was doing exactly the same she was doing. After some seconds, she realized it was her own reflect. She touched her face, amazed. Now it was furry, and the fur over her face was as fluffy as Stitch's. Her long, black hair was no more than two large antennas, a little larger than Angel's. Then she saw at the moonlight that in her chest was a red flower, as a decoration. And now there was a dark red fur covering her whole body. She caressed it, unfit to believe what she was seeing in that moment. She was now an experiment… a very, very _beautiful_ experiment.

-Little girl!!! Are you OK? I heard you scream, and I came as fast as I could! –said Jumba worriedly, turning on the switch and looking for Lilo with his sight. When he saw Lilo, he remained amazed… he didn't expect that Lilo would be that beauty in experiment form… and she looked very fluffy too!!!

-Hum, yeah, I'm OK. It's just that I didn't expect to be… well, you know… be like this in experiment form –replied Lilo, still amazed with her new look. She began to practice some poses with her new body, and then she saw that she had a white flower as a decoration on her back, as well as in the back of her head.

-Well, if you say –he shrugged and began to walk towards the door –I'm going to dine then.

-Hey, Jumba, wait. Before you go, can I know what powers am I supposed to have in experiment form?

-Well, little girl, I'm not very sure… we should analyze your natural skills and your personality to see which kind of power you could have gotten. Let's see: you're a very determined girl, so maybe you would have a super-spy experiment powers, like…

-Like Nosy?

-Yeah, like him, or maybe you might be… you might be just like 620.

Lilo got sad when she heard that. 620 was Krista's number; Stitch's boojibu. "Oh God, is there something that doesn't recall her?" she thought bitterly.

-OK, what else? –she asked, trying to shut out that thought that crossed her mind.

-Mmm… let's see… you're very smart too, so you surely can think faster than a supercomputer, just like 62… err, Stitch –he corrected. It was still hard to him to call his most successful experiment by his name. Lilo could understand that and nodded amused.

-Will I have a new power? I mean, will I have some power that no other experiment has? –she hurried.

-Well… the most probable is that you would have super-strength, but not as much as 6…I meant Stitch. Let's see… perhaps you will have the power to manipulate the mind of anyone you want to.

-Do you mean… that I'll be able to read the others mind? –Lilo perked her ears, very interested.

- That's very likely too. Those are all the powers I can imagine you might develop. Perhaps you might develop more than those I said. Now, if you don't mind, I'll go to take the dinner. Jumba gets very hungry sometimes –he joked while drumming on his stomach.

-Wait Jumba. Aren't you forgetting some important thing? –advised Lilo, tapping in the floor with her foot.

-I guess I don't –he replied.

-Come on, Jumba!!! I can't present myself like this and then just say "Hi, it's me, sorry for my new look, I was proving it to see if I can get Stitch's love in experiment form"!!! Is there any way I could look like a human again?

-Well, yes, there is a way to make you look like a human again –he replied while took out a little bottle from his white coat –This liquid substance counteracts the first one you drunk to became an experiment, but before you use it, I gotta advise you some important thing. You must drink this before twelve hours after have drunk the changing potion. It doesn't matter if you don't drink the changing potion before the twelve hours, because your original DNA won't be affected, but if you don't drink the counteracting potion before the twelve hours your DNA will be changed forever irreversibly, unless I do some evil experimentation with you. Do I explain myself?

-Hum… yeah?

-That's all. Then just drink it.

Lilo took carefully the little bottle from Jumba's hand. This liquid was a fire red color, unlike to the first one, which was an icy blue color. Lilo didn't think it twice and drunk some of the potion. She felt then a burning sensation through her throat and she felt the burning liquid flowing by all her body. In less than a minute, she was being totally transformed into a human again. First she felt how her soft fur disappeared from her skin and turn into her usual red muumuu, and then her antennas become again her usual large, raven hair. When she was totally human again, she smiled.

-Well, didn't you want to dine, Jumba? –she asked. Jumba nodded and both walked towards home.

-Lilo!!! I hope you have a good excuse about why you weren't here in time for dinner!!!

Nani approached menacingly to the poor, little girl ahead her. Lilo was very nervous, not because her sister's anger; after all she had got used to stand Nani's bad mood through the years; but she was nervous because she hadn't any good idea about why she delayed to dine. She was completely cornered now; Nani was closing now and it seemed like she had to say a really good lie to save her or… run as fast as she could.

-Lilo!!! I asked you something!!! Are you gonna tell me why are you late???

Lilo was sweating now hardly. She hadn't still a good idea… she began to prepare her legs to run while looking for a way to escape.

-Oh, hello bigger girl!!! Excuse the little girl and me for being late for dinner. It's just that she…

That was all what Lilo could hear. She knew that Jumba and Nani were discussing, but she took care about their argument until somebody caught her attention.

Stitch was exiting the kitchen, after a tasty dinner. He was taking off some remains of meat that had stopped up on his teeth. He had still his claw inside his mouth when he saw the two grown-ups discussing. Then he took out his claw and stared amused at that "beautiful" scene. The two adults moved apart, letting on sight the scared girl. Then he took quickly away his eyes from the discussing ones just to stare at the beautiful girl ahead him. During some seconds the whole world disappeared for him, letting at his sight nobody else but Lilo. Then he saw how her eyes moved away from the discussion and stared into his eyes. Lilo felt how her heart was melting down when she saw him smiling lovingly at her. She was about to say something when she felt somebody hugging her carefully:

-Oh, Lilo, are you OK? Did you hurt your knee? –asked Nani worriedly.

Lilo was totally startled and turned her head to see confused at Jumba. Jumba blinked two of his eyes at her and then she understood.

-Nani!!! Don't do that!!! You're hurting me!!! Ouch!!! –she faked, touching her left knee carefully, as if it were hurting her.

-OK, but please, next time you skate, use some knee protector, please! –scolded Nani, releasing Lilo from her arms -and you could ask Keoni for teach you next time.

Lilo just saw how her sister walked away, and then she stared at Jumba, smiling:

-Thanks, Jumba! I couldn't have had a better idea about how I got late for dinner. But, what exactly did you say her?

-Well, Jumba said that little girl got hurt while skating with your friends and that I needed to do some stitches to close the wound in your knee. That's all. Jumba is evil genius still! –he smirked and laughed evilly.

-Ooh, bad Uncle Jumba! –joked Lilo and hugged him –thanks again. I appreciate very much that you are helping me with all this.

-Well, we are Ohana, remember? That's what a person does for his family. Nobody gets left behind…

-…or forgotten. I know. Now I'm going to get dressed to sleep, Jumba.

-Okey-dokey. Jumba is going to dine. I hope it is pizza… -he said and entered in the kitchen.

Lilo sighed happily. It was their little secret, and she was happy to have somebody in her family like Jumba, his adoptive uncle. While she began to walk towards her room, a fast image crossed her mind. She remembered when she used to like Keoni. He was for her the perfect one who she would love to be in love with. But it was never more than a crush. A huge crush, really. But it was just for a while, when she tried greatly to deny her love for Stitch. She always had felt that it wasn't good to feel awkward around Stitch, because she must be with someone belonging to the human specie, but it just made her love grow and grow each time more, until there happened the little incident with Angel. Then she couldn't hide her jealousy, and realized she cared totally about Stitch, but even so she always pretended to be in love with Keoni to hide her feelings. But now that she had found the way to transform herself into an experiment, the species thing wouldn't be important now.

"Now there is a hope. There is a new hope for Stitch… and me. I'll heal the wounds he got when he lost Krista, and I'll try to teach him how to love again" she thought as she pressed the button to ascend to the dome. When she arrived, she saw Stitch looking thoughtful at a pink necklace with a blue pearl he had on his right hand; on his left hand he had a red one with a little piece of shaped wood. Lilo gulped when she recognized her Tiki necklace. When Stitch saw Lilo, he smiled at her sadly and kept both necklaces under his pillow:

-Aloha, Lilo –he said motionless.

Sadness was remarking his face, but it wasn't the same sad face he always had done when he thought about Krista; it was a kind of sadness mixed with jealousy on his expression.

-Hum, hi Stitch –she replied. She was thoughtful too, trying to guess Stitch's expression. She knew he was sad, but there was something else she couldn't identify on his face.

-Lilo is gonna dress to sleep? –asked Stitch, forcing a smile.

-Yep

-Then Stitch going down –he said while walking towards the elevator.

-Oh, no. I can get dressed inside the wardrobe. You can stay here if…

-No, Lilo. Meega wants to be… alone for while. Isaka OK.

-Well, if you want –she said as she took out her turquoise nightdress.

When she was totally sure Stitch couldn't see her, she took out two little bottles from her muumuu pockets. She stared at them for a while and then she hid it on a huge box inside the wardrobe. Inside the box were a lot of special things for her: there were some Elvis posters that belonged to her mom when she was young; some Elvis records, her mom dresses, an album with old photos of her parents wedding, and a lot of other things. She moved away carefully some old things to take out a little box. Inside it there was a pink piece of paper: it was Stitch's certificate of adoption. There were lots of photos which she appeared with Stitch, as well as a lot of other things that belonged to him. She took the two bottles and kept them in the box, and closed it. Then she took out the little box from the wardrobe and hid it under her bed. She dressed with her nightdress and opened the dome ceiling to see the night-sky. There wasn't cold; in fact it was a warm night. She dropped herself on her bed and saw the stars shining with a soft light. She remembered the time when she got mad at Stitch because he destroyed all her stuff for the May Day Hula competence, and how she always calmed down when she looked at the stars, wondering which two would belong to her dead parents. Now she was feeling a similar sensation to those days.

-Mom, dad, you know what? –she began to say, looking at the stars -I think I've fallen in love with my best friend. It's that one whom I'm always talking about, Stitch. I know we're different species, but that won't be a problem…hum…anymore… -she yawned and fell asleep on her bed.

Then somebody entered in the room. He saw Lilo asleep on her bed, and approached to her. He smiled sweetly while saw her pretty face at the moonlight. She really looked like an Angel. He sighed as he took on his arms the little beauty and discovered the sheets from the bed. He liked to feel Lilo on his arms, and he felt that he did want to never let her go; instead he wanted to cradle her like that all the night, but even so he put her softly on her bed, covered her with her sheets and finally, a little bit hesitant, he leaned to kiss her cheek, and kept kissing her for at least one minute before pull his lips off her cheek. He felt a wonderful sensation filling his heart; it was something that not even Krista had made him feel like. Then he approached to the button to close the ceiling, but before it could close completely, he saw a falling star. He remembered that Lilo had told him that each time you see a falling star, you can make a wish. He thought during some seconds, and then he made his wish: "I wish Lilo can love me just as much as I do. All the another things aren't important, I just want Lilo to love me" he thought as he covered his body with his sheets, and then he fell asleep too.

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Meanwhile, not too far away from there, a spaceship landed violently on the forest, and somebody emerged from the burning ship. He then began to smell the air, as looking for some familiar smelling. When he caught it, he smirked and began to follow the so hatred aroma that would bring him to his revenge, and then he disappeared on the midnight darkness.


	6. Chapter 5

_**WHAT'S THE BEST CHOICE?**_

_Chapter 5_

_Their first meeting_

Lilo moaned when she felt the sunbeams colliding with her tan face. She rolled over her other side to avoid the glittering, burning morning sun, but when she was about to close her eyes again, she caught a glimpse of her clock: it was over the 8:45 a.m.

-Oh no!!! I'm late for hula again!!! –she livened up and hopped off her bed –Stitch, wake up!!! We're late!!!

Stitch didn't move off his cot, he just groaned peevishly and rolled on his right side so Lilo couldn't move him off from his warm blanket.

-Please Stitch, move your butt off there and…!!! –Lilo huffed as she tried to drag Stitch off his cot.

-Hum, naga bootifa!!! Just five minutes please!!! –Stitch begged tiredly and pulled off Lilo, and she fell backwards. Even if Stitch pulled off Lilo from him, she smiled. How much she loved Stitch! He was everything for her: he was funny, he was cute, and he was… everything! Then she approached to the sleepy Stitch and stared at him as he slept quietly. Then she shrugged.

-OK, I will let you sleep. Aloha –she murmured as she leaned over him and put a tender kiss on his cheek. Stitch opened quickly his eyes when he felt the warm breath on his face and rolled his eyes just to see Lilo's lips upon his left cheek. He felt the urge to take her face between his hands and divert her lips from his cheek to his lips: he closed his eyes and began to raise his hand by over her head, oblivious of what he was doing; Lilo didn't even realize about it because she had her eyes closed. When Stitch's hand was about to draw her head near to his, she opened her eyes and pulled away quickly, remembering she was late for hula. Stitch opened his eyes as well, realizing of what he was about to do and thanked Lilo pulled away. He didn't know if she loved him; if he would've kissed Lilo, maybe she would've got mad at him and not wanting to be his friend anymore.

Lilo ran towards the lift hurrying her legs to run faster, but she halted when she heard Stitch's voice:

-Lilo, wait!!! Meega go with you!!! –Stitch cried as he jumped off his cot.

-OK, but hurry then!!! I won't take breakfast, there's no time!!! –she smiled and went downstairs to get into the buggy. Stitch smiled when he remembered the long-duration kiss he received. Would be that a love sign from Lilo?

Lilo jumped into the buggy when she saw Stitch running towards the buggy. He turned on the buggy and they began to make their way to the hula school. Stitch was thoughtful when he remembered last night, when Nani was talking to Lilo about…about Keoni. He growled when he remembered the red-haired boy. He was Lilo's childhood big crush, and he thought she still liked him. Now she was turning into a teenager, she wouldn't be anymore that sweet, little girl he had fallen in love with. He feared Lilo could change. He knew that sometimes, when children become teenager, the most of time their character changes. Teenager also began to feel special things about other teenager and fall in love with them. He didn't want Lilo to change, and he didn't want her to fall in love with someone else. He feared to lose her, and that was why he didn't like Keoni too much, because he might take her away from him. Stitch couldn't stand anymore his curiosity about it.

-Lilo… still like Keoni? –Stitch asked fearful of what she would answer, forcing an untroubled face.

Lilo whirled her face to see his. She was surprised for Stitch's question; she found strange Stitch asked that and stared at him confused. There was the same expression she didn't recognize last night, the sadness expression. She thought for a second that Stitch was jealous by his face, but she shook that thought out of her mind and thought instead that maybe it was just her imagination.

-Yeah, I still like him… -she said, waiting Stitch to do something, and in fact he did a sadness face.

-… but if you mean if I like him as a stupid crush then I don't like him –she assured quickly. Then Stitch's face changed to a genuine untroubled face. He was glad to hear that she didn't like him that way. It was a huge relief to hear her say that.

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But while they were talking, somebody else was listening at them. He was swinging through the palm trees and listening at them with his super-hearing. He growled when he saw the blue, fluffy experiment driving and kept following the vehicle.

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Lilo was about to go out with her new friends after another school day, the last in the week.

-Finally, Friday is here!!!

-Huff!!! It's a huge relief to have some free time after a whole week!

-I'm gonna pass the evening in the beach. What are you gonna do, Victoria?

-I dunno. I might pass the weekend watching movies or surfing!

Those comments revealed the girls' relief and their freedom yearns. Lilo was very happy too, and she was about to go out the little building when she remembered something important.

-Hum, Victoria? Can I talk to you alone?

-Sure! What is it, Lilo? –replied Victoria, a little bit surprised about Lilo's sudden request. They walked out the building and approached to a refreshing shadow that was providing a tree, and sat down leg-crossed. Victoria saw in Lilo's face the concern she was having, and wondered what was up with her best friend.

-Lilo, are you OK? –asked concerned Victoria. Lilo just glanced at her and sighed heavily.

-Hum, yeah, more or less –she answered, her concerning growing bigger –Victoria, I want to make you a request, but first I have to make a confession –she took a deep breath, as if she were afraid somebody would listen her –Since Stitch and Angel broke up, I grew closer to Stitch and began to develop certain feelings about him (here Victoria widened her eyes, guessing what Lilo meant). In fact, I knew before that that I loved him, but I always tried to deny it, but it was useless when there happened that between Angel and Stitch… I grew closer to Stitch due I wanted to comfort him about that… and then I fell in love. Yesterday I confessed Jumba what I feel about Stitch, and he gave me a potion to change me into an experiment. Stitch doesn't know it, nor Nani, nor Pleackley, nor anybody else than Jumba, me and now you, and I don't want him to know it… not yet. I need to create a new identity as an experiment, and I was thinking in being like your pet.

-But Lilo, I already have Snooty. I don't think my mom will allow me to have another… err, pet? –Victoria replied, greatly surprised about what Lilo just told her.

–Besides, didn't you love Keoni?

That question sickened Lilo, who just stared at the floor –Victoria, I thought the same way you're thinking now, but that feeling I get around Stitch is totally different to the feeling I used to have with Keoni. In fact, I think it was never love; it was a stupid crush which I used to hide the feelings I had about Stitch. I still like him, but just like a friend. No more –she sighed and then lifted her head to face Victoria –So? Can I be your "pet"? You're the only one who I trust enough to rely on my secret.

Victoria stared at Lilo, and saw on her expression she was really concerned about it, and then decided to help her:

-OK, that's why we're friends, right? We're an ohana. I'll help you to disguise yourself and even to get Stitch's love –she assured with a big smile on her face. Lilo just couldn't believe that actually, Victoria was going to help her even to get Stitch's love: "She's really like a member of my Ohana!" she thought and thanked God mentally to allow her to know Victoria:

-Oh, thank you, Victoria!!! Thank you, thank you, and thank you!!! –she almost shouted in happiness and hugged so hardly Victoria that she had to pull away Lilo to catch her breath back.

-OK, but then promise me that you'll tell me everything what happen between you and Stitch –Victoria panted, trying to catch her breath from Lilo's hug.

-Promise –Lilo replied and patted her hand with Victoria's. Lilo was about to leave with Victoria, but then she remembered that she had totally forgotten that Stitch had been waiting for her for about half an hour, and she hadn't any good pretext to explain Stitch why she had delayed.

-Oh, no!!! Victoria, I totally forgot about Stitch!!! What will I tell him?

-Well, you…

-Lilo! –they heard somebody calling Lilo. Lilo immediately recognized the voice… it was Stitch's voice. He seemed worried about something, but his concern disappeared quickly when he saw Lilo.

-Aloha Stitch –greeted Victoria.

-Hum, hi Stitch –Lilo said, as she began to blush. She couldn't help but blush every time Stitch was around her. Victoria noticed it and smiled: she knew that it was hard for Lilo to hide her feelings –If you err… wonder why I delayed, it was because… because… -she began to said, but still hadn't any good idea.

-Lilo and I were agreeing to go to my home, because we have homework to do in pairs, and we agreed to… do the homework together. Sorry if she delayed, it was my entire fault. Now, about what we were talking about, Lilo, can you pass by my house today? –Victoria explained and blinked at Lilo, who understood quickly.

-Yeah… the homework. I'll ask Nani first and later I'll pass by your house –Lilo replied. Stitch seemed to be thoughtful for just a second, but he didn't think about it any longer and just shrugged.

-Oki-takka. Come on, Lilo –he said as he whirled on his heels to approach to the buggy. Lilo followed him, but before leave, she turned her head to see Victoria and thanked her with signals. While Lilo ran to catch up Stitch, somehow her hand caught Stitch's. Stitch felt his heart jump out of him when he saw Lilo's hand interlacing with his. He liked to feel her hand inside his, and unconsciously he tightened his grip on her hand. Then some part of his brain made him to realize what he was doing and he dropped her hand:

-Oops, soka. Stitch… didn't realize…

-Don't worry, Stitch. We're friends; there isn't anything wrong with holding hands –she replied, trying hard to don't blush.

Stitch smiled and began to think… about everything, especially Lilo, and then he felt how she took a grip of his hand and squeezed it, and he returned it. While they were walking and holding hands, suddenly a part of his memories went backwards and hit him:

**FLASHBACK**

_"- Let me help you- said Stitch, tending his hand towards her. Krista smiled; she took Stitch's hand and he pulled up her, but when he did it, their faces remained so near that practically their noses were touching. Krista blushed, while Stitch just dropped his head, ashamed. Then he realized that he was still holding her hand:_

_-Oh, soka- whispered Stitch, releasing Krista's hand._

_-It's OK- replied Krista, softly."_

**FLASHBACK ENDS**

Krista… that was the first time they kissed… and what happened just a few seconds ago was so similar…

Stitch shook his head. How was possible that he still gets hurt about Krista? He was supposed to be already to be in love with Lilo. Why Krista's memory still chases him?

-Stitch, are you OK? –Lilo's voice burst on his mind. She had noticed Stitch's sudden bewilderment by his face and his sudden behave.

Stitch didn't know what to say. He was too idealess to answer well.

-Stitch… not OK. Stitch feels bad.

-What's going, Stitch?

-Stitch feels bad because Krista –he said, and felt how the tears began to prick his ebony eyes.

He turned away his face, trying to hide his face from Lilo's amazed glance. She had heard before Stitch crying; he cried when Krista left them; he cried when Angel was captured by Gantu, but it was always amazing to see Stitch crying. It was something that just happened when he was really sad. It was something shocking to see the almighty experiment 626 crying. Although Lilo was amazed, she wrapped her arms around Stitch's back, hugging him comfortingly. Stitch didn't do anything but return the hug as well. He knew he could trust in Lilo, because she was his best friend after all, but there was something that always stopped him. Now he had done it, now he finally trusted in his best friend, he felt a huge relief filling his soul, and he was very thankful with Lilo:

-Thank you, Lilo. Stitch feels better now.

Lilo pulled him away to face him:

-No, Stitch. Thank you for trusting in me. You can always come to me if you are sad. I lo… we're ohana, right? We gotta be together to comfort one to each other –she said, almost covering her mouth when she was about to said him she loved him.

Stitch hugged her once more before jump into the buggy to make their way to home.

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The mysterious shadow was right above them, in the lowest branch of the colorful mango tree. Thanks to the fruits color, his fur camouflaged and matched with the reddish fruits. He was suspicious about the treat 626 had about the Earth girl, and he wanted to get some more evidence about the possible love 626 showed to the little Earth girl. He growled and followed the vehicle already moving.

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-What do you think if you go with Angel while I'm with Victoria doing the homework? You'll get bored if you stay with us –tried Lilo.

She had been trying to convince Stitch to leave her alone so she could take her experiment form and show in Victoria's house, but Stitch didn't seemed to be willing to leave her alone.

-Naga. Angel is with 6- err, Elvis, and he could get jealous. Stitch naga wants to be punched –he said imploringly.

-No, really. I need to be alone with Victoria to agree. It's a very, very difficult homework, and you just would get bored.

Stitch glanced at her imploringly and widened his eyes so he could soften Lilo. He made a really cute glance with his huge eyes. Lilo was about to soften, but she kept like that and she wasn't willing to allow Stitch to soften her.

-Hey, that's not fair!!! Besides, your little trick won't work on me. I've been practicing.

Stitch then gave up and lowered his ears, totally defeated. That did work on Lilo. She approached to him and kissed his cheek. Stitch perked his ears as Lilo pulled away.

-OK, I'll try another way to convince you. If you leave me alone with Victoria, I promise that I'll give you the coconut cake piece I was planning to have after dinner, and I'll prepare you a big coffee cup.

-Oki-takka!!! –Stitch agreed. It always worked on him: the coconut cake and the coffee.

Stitch ran towards the lift and left Lilo totally alone in the dome. She peeked in the dome window and saw Stitch moving away from the house. When she wasn't able to see Stitch, she took the little box from under her bed and took out the little blue bottle. She smiled and hid it on her pocket as she ran downstairs.

After a couple of minutes, in a little forest not too far away from her house, she took out the bottle from her pocket and stared at it. Wouldn't be safer to drink it at Victoria's house? The last time she drunk it she got sleepy, and she didn't know what would happen the second time she drink it. She thought that maybe her body would get used to it and opened the little glass container.

After hesitate during some seconds, she approached it to her mouth and drunk a gulp of it. She felt the cold liquid going down her throat and began to run towards Victoria's house.

While she was running, she felt her body changing from soft, tan skin to a furry, red body. She wasn't worried, because that little forest was far away from any kind of road, so there wasn't anybody that could see her. She was running in the nightfall landscape, following an old dusty path that only she and Stitch knew. It was getting darker, and she tried to activate her night-vision, but while she was concentrating in get a good sight, she ran up against something. It was something soft, warm and… furry. She heard a soft knock and saw that thing falling down in the ground. She got scared when that unknown thing raised and growled at her, showing its razor, white teeth. She tried quickly to get her night sight, but it was unnecessary, due the figure moved and went visible in the moonlight. She got even more scared when she saw that the one she had run into was Stitch.


	7. Chapter 6

_**WHAT'S THE BEST CHOICE?**_

_Chapter 6_

_The first little problems_

Stitch hadn't lost any worthy second, and while he rose from the ground he activated his infrared vision and began to search for that thing that had caused him to fall on the dust.

It didn't take a long time before he found what had hurled him without any warn onto the ground. He was expecting to see any of his male cousins. They used to play between them tricks on the lonely cousins they found to have some fun (men, who can understand them!). He was in no mood for tricks. He was too busy thinking on his own matters, that is to say he was thinking about Lilo. He was going to make pay to the one that had done that to him, and as he thought it angrily he whirled his face and showed his bright, razor teeth. But there wasn't anything he was expecting to see; it was instead an unexpected creature he didn't know.

Lilo was trembling now. The cold sweat began to appear on her furry forehead as she felt Stitch's eyes glancing at her. Stitch was shocked: that creature resembled to Angel, she had her curves, and her body was almost identical to Angel's; the single differences were her antennas, her tip-ears and the dark red fur covering her body, as well as the huge, red flower on her chest. She seemed just like an experiment. But which one of them? He didn't remember to have seen her before, when Lilo and he used to catch the experiments, nor have seen her running around the island before. He quickly overcame his shock and broke the silence:

-Cousin!!! –he said happily.

Lilo was now totally frozen. She didn't know what to do, she just wanted to disappear just like Houdini would have done, but she didn't have Houdini's ability, as well as she hadn't practiced her own abilities. Stitch approached to her, trying to get a better look of her. Lilo noticed that and tried to move away from him, totally fearful. Stitch realized this new experiment was afraid, and thinking it was because he scared her, he apologized:

-Meega soka. Meega achie-baba! Ohana, ih? Isa oki-takka –he said soothingly as he approached her slowly. Lilo barely understood what Stitch just had said, and she prepared to pretend a new voice:

-Sorry, I didn't understand what you just said. Can you repeat, please? –she said, trying to pretend a soft, calm and sweet voice that went out perfectly.

By Stitch's side, he was really surprised "So this experiment can speak English, huh? One of the luckily ones" he thought amused. Lilo heard Stitch talking, but didn't see his lips moving, and she wondered what had just happened. Then it hit her "Of course, how could I forget it? Jumba told me that telepathy was one of my possible abilities. It must be working now!!!" she thought, glad of having that power.

-Meega said… what's name? –he said, doing the best he could do to speak well.

"Oh, no. He just asked me what my name is! I haven't still a name!!!" Lilo thought and kicked herself mentally for haven't thought in that little detail that now seemed huge. She began to look around her, trying to get some idea from anything visible around her. She saw a beautiful orchid "What if I name myself "Orchid"? No, that's just a stupid idea. Well, let's see… what else, what else… maybe "Pebbles"? No, that sounds too Flintstones-like. Maybe "moonlight"? God, that sounds too corny!!! Is there anything that inspires me enough to get a good name?" she almost yelled, in the verge of her patience.

She then heard the soft murmur of the waves crashing against the rocks in the bay. Maybe she could name herself "Wave". She lifted her head, exasperated, imploring to the skies to give her a good idea. Then her plea was replied, and just like if somebody were listening at her, a flash filled her mind as she saw at the skies "That is it!!! The sky!!! There are my parents, up, at heaven; the best place there could exist ever!!!" she thought joyfully, and thanked her parents. She knew they had heard her, and wanting to help her they gave her that wonderful idea.

Stitch was looking at her, confused. She had delayed too much in answer his question, and he almost sighed with relief when he saw her opening her mouth to finally talk:

-Lani. My name is Lani –she answered, with the same soft, sweet voice –what's yours?

"So you're Lani, huh? That sounds like a Hawaiian name. I think Lilo told me the meaning, but I've forgotten it. I'll ask her later" he thought.

-Lani means "sky" or "Heaven", if you wanted to know, Stitch –she answered, forgetting totally that she was hearing his thoughts and not his lips.

-Wait! How… Lani knows that meega… wanted know meaning? And how Lani knows Stitch?

"Ouch!!! Stupid head!!! You've ruined it!!!" she thought and almost smacked herself.

-Well, I… I can read the minds of others –she explained, trying to keep herself that way.

-Oooh… bootifa! Ih, bootifa!!! –Stitch grinned, trying to be polite. Lilo, that's say "Lani", looked at the warmth of that smile. She saw that Stitch was trying to be nice with her, and that made her get absent-minded on that wonderful sample of genuine interest and politeness, but she had to control the urge of approach to him and kiss, at least, his cheek.

-So… where is Lani living? –Stitch questioned, trying to keep a conversation up. Lani had to shake her head to get herself into real world again:

-Well, I'm living with a girl named Victoria, and with her family. They're nice people, after all –she answered.

-But… Victoria has cousin –retorted Stitch.

-Hum, yeah, but I think she liked me, so she adopted me…err, yesterday –she said nervously.

-Why Lani not at home? –Stitch asked, a little bit suspicious. Lilo was sweating again a cold sweat "C'mon, I know I can control the minds as well as read'em, just do it before he catches you, Lilo!" she thought frightened.

-Hum, it's because… well, you know? It was because Victoria and a friend had to do some homework and she told me I could leave for a hike while she was working on with her friend –she explained as she tried to get Stitch's mind "C'mon!!! You can do it!!!" she thought.

Suddenly, she felt strange. She felt as if she had two bodies, and besides her head was hurting.

-Ouch! My head! –they both moaned. Lilo was surprised to see that exactly what she wanted to do Stitch did as well "I got you!" she thought cheerfully as she ordered her arm to lift, and saw that instead her arm lifting, it was Stitch's arm which lifted.

"OK, Stitch. You won't talk with Lani about her family or where she came from, or what experiment number is she" ordered Lilo, staring at Stitch's face and trying to read his expression, now blankly and motionless, just like if he were hypnotized.

Suddenly, Stitch got his own mind back and smiled:

-OK, Lani. Stitch go with Lani to see Lilo at Victoria's house –he said joyfully, thinking in see Lilo again.

"Oh, no. I think I worsened it. Now Stitch wants to meet me at Victoria's house!!! How will I be Lani and Lilo at the same time?" she thought anguished.

After all, she couldn't be able to divide herself in two and be Lani and Lilo at the same time. She tried desperately to get once more Stitch's mind and order him to…to do anything less than go to Victoria's house, but when she was about to do the attempt again, she mused about it "No. It can't be. I shouldn't take Stitch's mind like that and handle him just like a toy. That's just not good. I want to be his friend, his lover, not his puppet-player. That just could ruin our friendship… maybe forever" she thought and looked sadly at Stitch, who was waiting for her. She sighed heavily as she promised not to take again his mind ever, and she just waited for a miracle while they began to make their way to Victoria's home.

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The shadow moved quickly between the spectrums that formed the shadows of the palm-trees. He had heard the whole conversation, and he was curious about what they were going to do. He was a little bit suspicious as well; that creature he had seen was just like an experiment, but he didn't remember to have seen her before when he captured all of them. He felt something wasn't normal there, and he wanted to know what it was. He growled when they began to move and turned himself again into the dark and fast shadow he needed to be to follow them without being noticed. He entered into the darkness of the night forest and followed them.

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Victoria looked up at the digital-clock upon her night table, and then buried her face against the huge pillow on her bed. She lifted her head and looked back at the clock. A purple bat-like creature was lying asleep on her lap as she stroked his wings. She had been waiting for Lilo for about an hour, and she hadn't called her either, so she was boring totally while waiting for her best friend. She looked through the window the white moon shining gorgeously, and wondered how much longer Lilo would delay to arrive. She was on her orange pajamas already, just in case Lilo couldn't arrive. She was feeling her eyes wanted to close to take her to slumber-land. When she finally gave up and prepared her blanket to sleep, she heard the door-bell. Her friend suddenly woke up and purred at her tender touch. She knew it was probably Lilo and rushed downstairs to get in the door before her mom could do:

-I'll open!!! –advised Victoria as she twisted the door-handle. When she opened the door she saw two little dogs-like creatures, one blue and the other one red. She knew the blue one, because he was Stitch, her best friend's alien dog, but she couldn't recognize the red one. She hadn't seen her before around the island, or anywhere else. She glanced at the red fuzz-ball and tried hardly to get some memory about her, but it was useless: she just couldn't recognize her.

-Aloha Victoria!!! Lilo here? –greeted Stitch, looking for his best friend with his eyes, but he didn't find her and just waited for any reply from Victoria.

Victoria returned quickly from her memories and focused her mind on answer Stitch's question. She was about to tell him that Lilo wasn't there, but suddenly the red experiment ran towards her and hugged her. Victoria was stunned, and while she was trying to think why this experiment was behaving like that, the experiment began purring and quickly entered on the conversation:

-Isn't that Lilo a little girl with black hair, tan skin and a red dress? –she asked. Victoria opened her mouth in awe:

"How could this experiment know what Lilo looks like?" she wondered still amazed, but somehow, it hit her and she realized that the experiment was Lilo:

"That is it!!! The experiment is actually Lilo in disguise!!! But… wait a minute. How could I know she is Lilo" she thought, still confused.

"It's because I told you" she heard a voice on her head. The voice sounded exactly like Lilo's, and she got scared.

"Lilo? Is it you? How can we talk…like this? I mean… how can you read and talk me through my mind?"

"I'll explain you later. Now I want to ask you something…"

"What is it, Lilo?"

"Answer Stitch's question now!"

Victoria just shook her head, trying to return from that weird mental conversation. Stitch nodded, answering Lani's question about Lilo's physical appearance. Victoria thought quickly in some excuse for Stitch:

-Hum, yeah, Lilo… she, err… she left about a half an hour ago. I think she was going to her house –said Victoria, hoping Stitch to believe her excuse.

Stitch widened his eyes: so Lilo had already left!!! But he hadn't seen her. Did she just take another way to go home? Stitch didn't think it twice and thanked Victoria. As he left, he waved his hand to said bye to Lani and Victoria, eager to see his raven-haired angel again. Victoria stared at him as he disappeared between the plentiful weeds. She closed the door and whirled her head to face Lilo:

-Lilo, you… wow, I don't know what to say. It's just incredible!!! You really look like an experiment… a pretty one, by the way –she said jokingly. Lilo smiled and pulled her playfully:

-Well, at least I'm beautiful as an experiment, because as a human I don't think I'm too attractive.

-Oh, please, Lilo!!! That's the least matter now. If you're going to win Stitch's heart, he will fall in love with you because your being, not because your looks!!! Besides, you're not ugly as a human –she assured comfortingly as she went upstairs with Lilo.

When they reached her bedroom, Lilo saw Snooty asleep upon Victoria's bed. She sat next to him, which made him to wake up. At first he got scared when he saw that unknown experiment, but he calmed down when he recognized Lilo's voice, talking to him sweetly and soothingly, as if she would want him to get asleep again. Snooty yawned and curled up in his Lilo's lap. Victoria smiled as Lilo gave her the little purple fuzz-ball and began to stroke his ears with such fond and affection that soon he fell asleep on her lap.

-So, can you explain me how we were talking like that some minutes ago? –asked quietly Victoria, taking care of her little pet's slumber.

-Well, it's one of my powers. It's telepathy. Jumba told me some of the possible powers I could get as an experiment, so I just talked to you telepathically. I can read other's mind and control it as well.

-Wow, that's cool!!! With those powers, especially with the mental control one, you can get Stitch's heart faster, and you---

-No, Victoria. I thought the same way you do now, but I realized that if I do that I would be pressing Stitch, and Love is not like that. You said it!!! I have to get Stitch's love not because my looks, and less because my powers. It must be by me. I don't want to be his puppet-player. I want to be his friend, and something else. If I do what you told me, I would lose his friendship –said Lilo, a serious look marked her furry face.

Victoria seemed to be a little bit disappointed, but suddenly her face changed:

-Well, you don't want to control his mind, right?

-You're right.

-But there's nothing bad with read it. You won't be pressing him. You just… let's call it "find out in advance", OK? –she said with a smirk on her face.

-That's true. OK, but I'll try to do it as less possible. I want it to be a surprise, and I don't want to get heartbroken in case Stitch---

-Don't say that. Everybody says always that you're a very determined girl, and you always get what you want.

-Thank you, Victoria. Thanks for all –said Lilo as she hugged her friend.

-No problem –answered Victoria.

Suddenly, Lilo remembered that she had to get home quickly, before…

-Stitch!!! He must be arriving right now home!!! I forgot totally about him!!! –shouted Lilo, carelessly waking up Snooty.

-Oh-oh. You gotta leave now, if you want to be on time. Besides, I thought Nani didn't like you to get home after nightfall.

-Oops, I forgot that too. Now I have two good reasons to leave. See you, Victoria –said Lilo as she went out of Victoria's window.

-Wait!!! Shouldn't you drink the changing potion?

-I'll drink it when I arrive home!!! I gotta be fast!!! –replied Lilo as she disappeared in the weeds.

Lilo began to run as fast as she could. She got amazed, because her speed had really improved in experiment form, so she didn't delay too much to arrive home.  
When she had her house ahead her, she saw that Stitch had scarcely arrived home.

He hadn't been running to get there quicker, because he did want to think some time alone. Even if it sounded silly, he wanted to think what he was going to do when he arrived home, what he was going to do with Lilo. He barely could see at her eyes; it was hard for him to keep staring at her eyes without feel the urge of wrap his arms around her waist, draw her close to him, take her face between his hands and kiss her so he could say with actions what he couldn't say with words, due he barely talk in English.

As Stitch was thinking all those things, Lilo felt the urge of read his mind. She had noticed that he was thoughtful, and she was curious about all that, but she kept down that urge and climbed the wall of her house until she arrived to the dome, and passed through the opened window.

Stitch opened the door and walked inside.

-Oh, hello little monster. You're just in time for dinner –he heard a voice coming from the kitchen. He whirled his head just to see Pleackley with a white apron with red flowers printed on it.

-No, thank you, Pleackley. Meega tired; meega wants to go bed now –replied Stitch, eager to see Lilo. Besides, he didn't want to know what kind of dinner Pleackley had prepared.

-OK, you miss it –Pleackley shrugged.

Lilo had already her nightdress on, and she had scarcely drunk the changing potion when she heard a noise from downstairs. She hurried and jumped into her bed. Her body changed quickly from furry and fluffy to a soft, tan skin, and she closed her eyes, pretending to be already asleep. She barely had time to do all that, because when she closed her eyes Stitch entered the room. He saw a little bulk on Lilo's bed, and he knew it was Lilo already asleep. He approached to her bed and saw his angel at the moonlight. She really looked beautiful with her raven hair glistening with the moon; it seemed just like black, shiny silk. He knew he felt that awkward urge whenever he sees her at her eyes, but now, even with her eyes closed, he wanted to kiss her till she wake up and allow him see those wonderful eyes.

A little hesitant, he leaned over his angel and placed his lips on her nose, kissing her tenderly. It was the closest part to her lips, and he was eager to place his lips on her own, but he just kept his lips on her nose.

On the other hand, Lilo wasn't asleep. She was completely conscious of Stitch being too close to her, and she felt her heart stopping when she felt something furry upon her nose. She half opened her right eye and saw Stitch's lips right on top of her nose. She couldn't help but she trembled at the sight of Stitch kissing her nose. Stitch realized that Lilo moved slightly and he opened his eyes just to see Lilo glancing at him amazed.

He quickly moved to turn aside her nose, and Lilo moved her head as well, but they moved in certain way that Stitch's lips crushed against Lilo's.

"What are you doing? Get off her NOW!!!!!!!!!" he thought.

"W-what's going on? Pull him away!!! Pull him AWAY!!!!!!!!" Lilo heard a voice on her head.

They realized of what just had happened and quickly they pulled away one from each other:

-S-Stitch? What a-are you d-doing? -Lilo asked, talking hardly.

-M-meega sok---

Stitch was speechless totally. He didn't know what to say, nor think well, so he just raised his arms ahead him and began to say incoherent things, just like if he were asleep:

-Hum… coconut cake… meega want coffee. Coconut –he said, pretending to be walking asleep, and finally he approached to his cot and covered himself with his blanket.

"If only I could read his mind to see what just happened. Great, I can't!!! I just can in experiment form!!! That's unfair" she thought, still confused. She was thinking again in that kiss they shared, even if it was a merely accident. She felt a wonderful sensation that she had never felt in her life. But what if that wasn't what Stitch meant? Was Stitch in love with her?


	8. Chapter 7

_**WHAT'S THE BEST CHOICE?**_

_Chapter 7_

_A new friendship begins_

Stitch barely could sleep that night. It was almost impossible to get some sleep knowing that he had just kissed Lilo… now he was feeling so weird… it was odd: what he had desired so eagerly to do was now making him feel awkward and scared, but at the same time he felt a wonderful and a very known sensation for him… he remembered he felt that when he and Angel shared their first kiss, after being rescued from Gantu's ship… he felt it when he first kissed Krista, in that wonderful evening at the seashore…

He turned on his back to face the window near to his cot to see the stars, glittering so soft and peacefully in the night skies that they seemed to want to lull him with their gentle light. Stitch stared at them. Not even they could match their beauty with the beauty of those wonderful eyes… his Lilo's eyes. His wish had come true accidentally, and he was feeling just so odd.

He turned once more to peek if Lilo was already asleep, and in fact she was. But she didn't seem either to be sleeping peacefully as she used to. Instead, she seemed to be having a restless sleep. She was turning on her bed to and fro, trying to get some peace on her dreams.

He whined softly as he turned again on his bed and saw the clock. It was already 3:30 a.m. and he still couldn't get some sleep. He buried his face on his pillow and uselessly tried again to fall asleep.

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Outside, there was someone else who couldn't sleep well either. He had followed the new experiment girl from the red-haired girl's house as far as the house he had once entered in to search for the experiments book. He didn't know why this experiment had entered in the house and never came out again. Wasn't she supposed to live on the earthling's house? Besides, the perfect moment hadn't brought up yet… the moment which he could take his vengeance on that weakling 626, who had made him seem like a foolish. He had still a lot to find out about them…

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Lilo yawned as she sat on her bed. She couldn't sleep well, and she was tired of being on her bed doing nothing but trying uselessly to get some rest. It was its entire fault… the recollection of that kiss didn't allow her to have some sleep.

She turned her head and saw that there was still dark, and the stars were still glittering on the sky. She whirled her head to see the clock. It was too early, just about 6:00 a.m.

She wasn't willing to go back to sleep, so she jumped off her bed and went to the lift.

She saw at the feeble moonlight two buttons that liken two arrows, one pointing down and the other one pointing up. She pressed the one that pointed down as a little sparkle detached from the button. She felt how the lift began to going down as she wondered what she could do at that hour in the morning. She thought on watching TV, but it wasn't very funny at that time in the morning. She thought on telephoning Victoria, but she didn't know if she was awaken already. The most probably was she still was asleep. She let out a frustration huff as she tried to think about something else. Suddenly, she smiled as the idea hit her. She still had the two little bottles on her pockets, but…

"Great!!! I forgot that I kept the potions on the muumuu pockets!!! Now I'll have to go back up and bring my muumuu. But… what if I wake up Stitch?" she told herself. She wasn't still prepared to face Stitch. She didn't know if that… if that kiss was what Stitch meant or if it was a mere accident. Or maybe it could have been both.

Then the lift reached the low floor. Her head was having a fight with her limbs. Her brain was telling her that the best was waiting for Stitch to wake up by himself, and talk with him, but her limbs wanted to escape. Her body was leading her to the dome, and her brain was struggling to get the control back. Before she could know what was going on, she found herself back in the dome.

She gulped when she heard Stitch's rhythmical breath. He was facing the wall near to his cot, and he seemed to be asleep. That calmed her a little bit, but she was afraid to wake him up. She walked on her tiptoes, trying to do the less possible noise. Her muumuu was in the floor, near to his cot. She swallowed as she went close to the sleepy Stitch. Slowly, she lowered her hand to pick up the red garment. Stitch was motionless. She took it, but then Stitch turned on his back. Now he was facing her, and she could feel his breath against her face. She sighed lightened when she realized he was still asleep. She stared at his closed eyes, and then her eyes went down to stare at his lips.

"Awww, just look at him!!! He looks so cute asleep like that… and look at… look at his lips (here is when she lowered her eyes to see his lips). I-I would wish to… It's because I didn't… OK, Lilo, get your own control back… but i-it's just that…"she was fighting against herself on her mind.

After all, she was so stunned last night that she didn't even enjoyed the moment when Stitch kissed her… accidentally, of course, but it was still a kiss. Her eyes went back to his eyes, and then back to his lips "OK, Lilo. Wake up!!! At the count of three, you'll move away from him… one… two… three!!!" she tried, but instead move away, she move closer to him. Now she was just staring at his lips, yearning to kiss him. She moved closer, and closer, and closer… now she was so close…

Then she saw, with the dim light, a little spittle puddle on his cot, very close to his face: he was drooling.

"Ewww, that's nasty!!!" she almost squeaked loudly. The trance she was on broke up as she stood up, confused "What I was thinking about? Do I want to kiss him and I can't even bear his saliva? I think Mertle was right… sometimes I'm so weird!!!" she told herself.

She picked up her muumuu as well as her hula stuff; she put it on her body, tossed her nightdress and rushed to the lift. As she went downstairs, she glanced at the clock that was hanging on the kitchen wall: it was already 6:05 a.m.

"Wow, I thought it was later. I could've sworn that there passed more than just five minutes. When I was about to kiss Stitch it seemed to be like an eternity" she thought amazed.

She went to the kitchen shelf and grabbed a chocolate bar and a pineapple juice from it. She didn't want to eat too much, because she wanted to walk, and to do that she needed to eat as less possible. Victoria's house wasn't too near.

She kept her chocolate and her juice on her backpack and ran towards the door. As she exited, she began to make her way to Victoria's house. She felt a cold breeze crushing against her face and she shuddered, but after a while she got used to feel the cold breeze and glanced at all the nature around her. She saw how the sun began to raise above the blue sea, and how it began to fling its firsts glitters. All those natural beauty distracted her from all her worries during all the way she did to get in Victoria's house.

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Victoria moaned tiredly and yawned when something woke her up. Snooty had become uneasy about something and he was staring at the window as he tried to wake his owner up, and finally Victoria woke up. She heard somebody calling her and knocking at the window with some little stones. She jumped off her bed and approached to the window.

When she reached the window, she saw Lilo waving her hands at her. She turned her head to see at the clock on her night table. It was already 6:36 a.m.

-Lilo? What are you doing at this hour here? –Victoria moaned tiredly as she yawned again.

-I'm sorry Victoria, but last night happened something that didn't let me sleep well, and I think I have to tell you it. I'm very confused –replied Lilo.

Victoria rubbed her ocean-blue eyes –OK, what is it?

-I need to tell you it inside. That would make me feel more comfortable –Lilo replied.

Victoria went downstairs on her tiptoes, not wanting to wake her parents. It was a little bit dark still, and she stumbled several times with the carpet and some forgotten stuff on her room and with the stairs, until she finally reached the front door. She opened it to let Lilo come inside. Lilo greeted her with a hug, as well as Victoria did, and then both went upstairs to Victoria's room.

-OK, what is this you want to tell me? –asked Victoria as she closed the room door.

Lilo dropped on her friend's bed and sighed heavily. Victoria sat next to her and just waited for her friend to reply her question.

-OK, the deal was I would tell you everything that happens between Stitch and I, right?–she asked. Victoria nodded.

-Well, last night, when I arrived to my home after visiting you, I rushed to the dome. I was still in experiment form… When I arrived, I saw that Stitch had just  
arrived home as well. I climbed the dome, and I came in through the window. I had just drunk the changing potion, when I heard a noise in the lift. I knew it was Stitch, and I just hopped to my bed and covered myself with my blanket. I didn't quite know exactly what happened next, I just know that Stitch closed too much to me, and… I think he wanted to kiss me goodnight, but then I got nervous, and… I-I don't know what happened next. I just know that… hum, Victoria… he kissed me.

-WHAT????????? –Victoria almost fell to the ground. She was too stunned with what Lilo had just told her.

Lilo had to help her to get to her feet.

-Victoria!!!!!! Are you OK? –Lilo asked, worried about her friend.

-Yeah, yeah, I'm OK, it's just that… you know, I didn't even think that he would fall in love with you so fast –Victoria replied.

-Victoria!!! I don't even know if he meant that!!! What if it was just an accident? – protested Lilo.

-Well, what if he meant that? Of course, maybe he remained stunned as well as you, but then why he wanted to kiss you goodnight? You told me a lot of times  
that he only used to kiss Angel when they were fiancées. You told me it was very strange about him to hug, and less to kiss somebody. Why he did want to kiss you? Wouldn't it be normally a non-importance thing to kiss you goodnight?

-Well, yes, but…

-I said "normally". That means that there's something that isn't too normal with him lately. Maybe… has he behaving awkward those last days?

-Well… yes, he has. He has been doing some odd things.

-Like what?

Lilo forced her mind to remember some details from the last days:

-Well, let's see… I remember that two or three days ago, he got hurt with his own coffee…

-Well, that's quite odd about him.

-That's not all. I asked him where he had got scorched on. He asked me why I wanted to know it. I told him that I would do what my mom used to do with me when she was alive… you know, the healing kiss. I thought that he had scorched his hand, or his finger, or anything else, but he told me that he scorched his lips. Then I got nervous, but I noticed that he got nervous as well. When I was about to kiss him…

-Wait!!! Do you mean you actually kissed him on his LIPS???? –Victoria asked in awe.

-NO, I DIDN'T!!!!!!!!! I just wanted to kiss his nose, but then he began trembling a-and I kissed right above his lips, but under his nose.

-Well, if he got nervous, it was because something especially, right?

-I don't know. Well, next odd thing… oh, I remember. Next day, at the morning, I just gave him a goodbye peck on his cheek, because he didn't want to wake up, and just with that peck he jumped off his bed and decided to follow me.

-Uh-huh, what else?

-Well, when we were going to the hula school, that same day, he asked me if I liked Keoni. I thought he meant as a friend, and I just told him that I do. Then I noticed that he got sad and just to see what could happen, I told him that I didn't like him as a crush anymore, and then his expression changed from an uneasy one to an untroubled one.

-So, do you think he got jealous?

-Maybe… that day I talked to you about my big deal, accidentally I took his hand, and he tightened his grip at first, but then… I guess he realized what he was doing; he got ashamed and dropped my hand. I told him there wasn't anything wrong with holding hands and we held hands all the way until he got sad about something. He told me it was because Krista.

-His first girlfriend?

-Yep, she is. He hugged me and began to cry, and I just comforted him…

-Well, with all that we can get a conclusion…

-Uh-huh?

-Don't tell me you actually don't know what does it means!!!

-Nope, I think I just can't understand what you mean.

-Lilo!!! With all those signals is obvious that he is in lo…

-Victoria!!! Wake up, honey!!! It's time to breakfast!!! –A female voice and a knock on the door interrupted Victoria before she could even finish her sentence:

-Oh, no!!! Why now? –murmured Victoria afraid. Lilo felt her heart jump out of her when she heard the voice.

-What are we gonna do? –asked her worried.

-Hide on the wardrobe!!! –replied quietly Victoria as she opened the huge door. Lilo entered and Victoria shut the door. She scarcely had closed the door when her mom entered the room.

-Morning, honey –she said as she kissed her daughter.

-Morning, mom –she replied.

The young woman approached to the wardrobe:

-OK, Victoria, hurry up. I'll get your stuff while you're having your breakfast. I don't want you to get late as yesterday, OK? –she said as she opened the  
wardrobe door.

-NO!!!!! –Victoria shouted as she closed quickly the door. Her mom glanced at her confused.

-I-I mean… mom, I want to choose today my clothes, because… because…

The woman just smiled at her daughter:

-I know… it's because you want to conquer that Kenny, don't you?

Lilo swallowed hardly inside the wardrobe. She was quite scared with the fact that Victoria's mom could catch her, but… Kenny? That was Stitch's second name!!! The name he used to use in his disguise!!! Was Victoria in love with Stitch as well? That scared her even more than being caught by Victoria's mom. She didn't even think that Victoria and she could be in love with the same boy!!! She was about to yell something when she heard Victoria correcting her mom:

-His name is "Keoni", mom, not "Kenny" –Victoria said as she began to blush. Lilo dropped her jaw when she heard Victoria. "Victoria is in love with Keoni? Victoria!!! How could you…? Oh, well. It doesn't matter now" she thought confused.

-OK, honey. Hurry up, then –answered her mom with a grin on her face.

When Victoria's mom had already closed the door, Victoria let out a relief huff, and Lilo hopped out the wardrobe:

-Victoria? Do you like…Keoni? Why you hadn't told me that? –Lilo asked, still confused.

Victoria dropped on her bed tiredly as she sighed once more:

-It was because I knew you liked Keoni as well, and I just didn't want to make you worry about… well, you know, right? –she said as she glanced at the ground ashamedly. Lilo sat next to her friend and patted her back:

-Wow, Victoria… I think you're one of the best friends I have… well, I just have you and Stitch, and Mertle, and all the gang, but anyway… thanks for taking care about me… even if it was just a crush. Thanks –Lilo said comfortingly as she hugged her friend. Victoria hugged her as well, and after some seconds they pulled away:

-Well, Lani, we better hurry up. Mom will get angry if we don't get downstairs to have our breakfast. Aren't you hungry? –asked Victoria as she smiled at Lilo.

-I already have my breakfast on my backpack. Don't worry about me. Go downstairs to have your breakfast and I'll be waiting for you outside in my experiment form, OK? –replied Lilo.

-OK –said Victoria as she went out the room.

As Victoria exited the room, Lilo glanced at her and smiled. Victoria was really a good friend!!! Or even more… she was officially a member of her Ohana. She had taken care about her crush on Keoni, even if she liked Keoni as well. Lilo dropped on the bed and opened the backpack: she took out her little breakfast.

After have finished her breakfast, she took out the little blue bottle. Now she wasn't hesitant about what to do: she had experienced already how felt like changing into an experiment several times, so she knew very well what she had to do. She opened it and drunk a gulp of it. As she felt her body recognizing the liquid, she took her stuff, opened the window and jumped out.

While she was still on the air, she realized she had forgotten that her transformation wasn't still complete, and she feared to get hurt when she reached the ground. But after some seconds, she realized she was already on the ground. She was amazed: the potion had strengthened her whole body, even in human form. She thought she could have her strength only in experiment form, but it seemed that she had improved in several things since she first drunk the potion. As she was thinking about all that she began to feel a slight tickling on her whole body: the transformation was beginning… once more.

When she was again Lani, she heard some steps and the door shutting from the front part of Victoria's house. She rushed to the front door to meet her friend. It seemed like her dad was going to bring her to school, so Lilo had to go running to the hula school right next to the car, outside of course. Victoria hadn't told her dad or her mom anything about their plans, so she couldn't ask her dad to allow that weird "dog" to come inside the car.

Finally, several minutes after a tiring race across the town, they reached the hula school. Lilo saw how Victoria exited the car and kissed good-bye her dad. She remembered vaguely when she used to do the same with her parents, and she felt a great nostalgia about those times. She was jealous a little bit of Victoria, because she had her parents by her side, but the good side was that thanks to their deaths she met Stitch. She never would have gone to the pound if she wouldn't have needed a friend. She was happy things were like that, although she still missed them.

-Lilo!!! –she heard Victoria calling her.

-Don't call me by my real name, Victoria!!! Remember that I'm Lani. If Stitch hears you our plans would be ruined!!! –complained Lilo mumbling.

-Oops, sorry –replied Victoria grieving.

-It's OK. Just remember: I'm Lani… not Lilo –Lani sighed as both approached to the gateway.

It was still too early, so there was nobody else but them. Lilo entered peeking first to assure there wasn't anybody else, and when she was totally sure she entered.

-Hum, Li… Lani, I think you should turn to your human form again… -whispered Victoria as she entered, fearing somebody could hear her.

-Why? –asked confused Lani.

-Because today we have to practice for the Spring Festival… do you remember?

Lilo (or Lani, whatever) slapped her forehead softly:

-Oh no… I forgot today was the rehearsal… luckily, I have the counteracting potion. Let's see… it's right here!!! –she said as she took out the little red bottle out. She didn't thought it twice; she just opened it and drunk a gulp of it. Victoria saw amazed how her friend turned into a human again. For her, it was amazing to see her best friend changing so radically from a fuzz-ball to a human.

-OK, I'm done –said Lilo with relief after her transformation concluded.

-Awww, I think I liked you better as a little fuzz-ball –said Victoria jokingly and giggled.

-Yeah, maybe, but Lani will have to wait until rehearsal ends –she replied with the same mock. Then they heard some steps and laughs from outside. The rest of the girls had arrived. Moses didn't delay too much either, so after some minutes, the rehearsal began.

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Stitch wrinkled his nose. There was something that wasn't very well, and that was interrupting his already troubled slumber. The so knew aroma wasn't there to awake his sense of smell in the morning. He opened slowly his eyes and searched for her on the bed next to his cot. She wasn't there.

He awoke himself completely and stretched. When he felt the energy coming back to his body, he approached to the bed to see if it was still warm. When he placed his hand on the sheets, he found that it was completely cold. He turned his head to see the clock: it was already 1:30 p.m.

He rushed outside by the dome window. He didn't want to lose time on the lift nor the door, and the window seemed as the faster way to get outside.

Meanwhile, almost everybody had left the hula school, but Victoria and Lilo were just gonna leave. Lilo was already on her experiment form. She had waited for Mertle's gang to left so she could change herself into an experiment again.

-Well, what do you want to do first, Lani? –asked Victoria, fanning herself with her hand.

-It's too warm here, doesn't it? –compelled Lani.

-Yeah, it is!!!

-Well, what do you think about going to the tow and get some ice cream? –suggested Lani –I would prefer go to the beach, but I didn't bring my bathing suit.

-Well, that's not a problem. You can get into the water in your experiment form, so you really don't need one –answered Victoria.

-Hmmm… I think you're right. After all, I won't regret that –she said with a big grin on her face.

-OK, what would you say if I dare you to reach the beach before than me? –asked Victoria, as preparing her legs to run.

Lani smiled: -I would say that you better get prepared… because you're gonna lose!!! –shouted Lani as she began to run to the beach. Victoria laughed and began to run as well.

-I WON!!! I WON!!! –shouted Lani as she reached the sandy ground. Victoria was already sweating and panting for air.

-OK… you won… but now let's get into the water, OK? I got even warmer with the race –she said intermittently as she took off her hula costume to show a green bathing suit under it. Lilo rushed to the water and splashed Victoria as she jumped into the water. During some minutes, they were playing into the water and laughing, until they got hungry.

-OK, I'm a little bit hungry –said Victoria.

-Yeah, me too… that happens every time I swim. Do you want an ice cream? I'm still warm –answered Lani.

-OK. I'll be waiting for you here –said Victoria as she dropped on the sand, under the palm-trees shadows. Lilo just trotted towards an ice cream post. After she paid the ice creams, she saw a blue shape on the beach. She gasped when she realized it was Stitch, sniffing the ground, as looking for something. She knew he was looking for her, so she got nervous and tried to pass unnoticed behind him. But it was useless, because he lift her head when he heard her steps.

-Aloha Lani!!! –greeted Stitch happily, waving his hand at her.

-Aloha Stitch –said Lani, getting even more nervous.

She knew how to handle with Stitch in cases like this, but she couldn't help to get awkward around him. She blushed slightly under her fur. Stitch noticed it, but he thought it was because the hot weather and didn't think too much about this.

-Has Lani seen Lilo? –asked Stitch hopefully.

-Nope, I haven't. Maybe she's with her new friends, because Victoria and I are alone –lied Lilo.

-OK. Takka! –said Stitch as he turned on his heels to go away.

-No, wait!!! –Lilo said unexpectedly. Stitch halted and whirled again to face Lani –Have you taken breakfast? –she said, trying to keep herself down.

-Naga. Meega little bit hungry, but meega can stand it. Meega wants to see Lilo to talk –he explained hurriedly.

-Well, do you want some ice cream to keep down your hunger for a while? –she asked as she pointed to the shaved ice post. Stitch smiled:

-Oki-takka. Meega likes idea.

Lani approached to the store and bought the ice cream. She bought coconut ice cream, Stitch's favorite (he just must love coconut). As she handed it to him, he smiled satisfied at her:

-Thank you… very much… how Lani know Stitch's favorite ice cream? –Stitch forced himself to speak well, barely getting it.

-I read the minds, remember? –asked Lani. Actually, she didn't even need to read his mind, because she already knew Stitch's favorite flavor was coconut.

-Oh… yeah. Meega forget it. Takka… –he said as he hugged her. Lilo felt her heart drumming inside her at his touch. Stitch let her go finally and waved at her with his hand as he ate the ice cream.

Lilo barely heard a last word from Stitch's mouth before his voice lost with the other several noises on the beach: -…achie-baba –was the last she heard.

She smiled, because she knew that he liked her as an experiment. Well, that was good, after all.

-You're welcome… achie-baba – she said with a smile on her face.


	9. Chapter 8

_**WHAT'S THE BEST CHOICE?**_

_Chapter 8  
_

_Suspicions begin_

"Where's Lilo? I wonder why she is delaying so much!" thought Victoria as she fanned her face with both of her hands.

She dropped on the sand, at the shadow of a palm tree, waiting for her best friend…and for her ice cream too. The sun was above the sky with that burning heat of the afternoon, and she tried to quench the heat with some fresh breeze made by her own hands.

She was about to stand up to search for Lilo when she caught a glimpse of a red shape. She focused her eyes on the shape and realized it was Lilo, already coming back with their ice creams. She stood up though and approached Lilo. She was about to ask her the cause of her delaying when she noticed the expression on Lilo's face. It was a thoughtful expression, mixed with some concern and joyfulness.

-Oh, hi Victoria –said Lilo as she noticed Victoria approaching her.

Victoria just glanced at her with concern –Lani, are you OK?

-Yeah, yeah, it's just that I found Stitch at the beach some minutes ago… –answered Lilo as both of them reached a spot in the sand with some fresh shadow being provided by a palm tree.

-Oh, that's why you delayed, right? –asked Victoria snickering –so, what happened?

-Well, he told me he wanted to talk with me… well, not with me, with Lilo, but I'm Lilo, not Lani, but… well, I think you can understand me, right? I'm just so confused…

-What do you think he wants to talk about with you? –asked Victoria, focusing her mind on what Lilo wanted to tell her.

-I'm not very sure, but I think he wants to talk with me about what happened last night… and I just don't know what to do. I don't know whether I have to face him, or whether just run away… I'm afraid, Victoria…-explained Lilo as she was gambling with her fingers swiftly.

-Why didn't you just read his mind? –asked Victoria.

Lilo kicked herself mentally for haven't thought about that option.

-Oh, God!!! I just forgot I could have read his mind!!! Excuse me; remember that I get absent minded each time I'm around him, OK? I forgot I have that ability…

-Well, going back to the original conversation –interrupted Victoria- I think you should face him as Lilo, not as Lani. After all, maybe he wants to tell you something important, and because your fear you're gonna miss it. What if it is something you have been waiting for a long time?

-And what if he's not? –Lilo sighed sadly –What if he just wants to tell me he's sorry and that he didn't mean that and that he still loves Krista? –Lilo dropped herself completely on the white sand, taking that gesture she always takes when she's upset.

-Lilo… -Victoria leaned to comfort her, forgetting that she should be called by her experiment name -I know he probably loves still Krista, but that's not an obstacle for him to love again… you know? You can teach him how to love again!

-Well, maybe… but what if he loves me just like a friend?

-Well, in that case, he's the one who has to tell it to you. Don't be afraid!!! I he tells you that he doesn't love you but like friends, you won't be losing anything. Well, yeah, maybe you'll be upset, but you can always try to win his heart. And if even so he doesn't respond to you, he's not the only boy on the entire island… you'll find somebody else that will love you more than he could ever…

-Please don't say that!!! –yelled Lilo at Victoria –It's pretty bad to know that he probably doesn't love me that way!!! I don't want to be at the side of anyone else but Stitch!!! He's the only one who has been able to penetrate on my heart so deeply!!! Not even Keoni did!!! I don't like to see him suffering because his past; I want to heal him, to comfort him… I just wouldn't stand to see another girl on her arms… -yelled at last Lilo before run away to disappear between the leaves of the ferns. The two cones with their content were left alone on the sand, as well as Victoria.

-Lilo!!! Wait!!! I didn't mean that!!! –called Victoria, but the silence was her single answer –I just wanted to cheer you up…

Lilo rushed to the road that would lead her to her home. As she ran, the tears began to fall down her cheeks, and her vision became blurry, at the point she couldn't see anything well, but that wasn't too important, because she knew perfectly the way to her home. She began to weep softly at first, but then she broke down in her crying and she had to stop to get back her breathe. She couldn't stand it anymore, so she dropped on the dust, totally defeated.

-Lani!!!

Lilo whirled her head to see who had caught her on her crying. Her heart jumped inside her when she saw who the catcher was.

-Stitch… I didn't see you approaching –said Lilo, drying off some of her tears.

-Gaba wrong? Lani feels oki-takka? –asked Stitch as he approached. He knelt next to the spot she had dropped herself in and took a grip of her hand.

Lilo felt the warmness of that hand right upon her hand, and tossed her arms around his neck, forgetting she was on experiment form. Stitch was stunned, but even so he wrapped his arms around her back and began to caress it comfortingly. They remained like that for some seconds, until Stitch broke up the silence to talk:

-Lani, gaba wrong? Feel oki-takka? –asked him as he dried a tear from Lilo's cheek that was making its way down trough the already soaked fur.

-Uh-huh…I'm OK…don't worry Stitch… it's a non-importance thing. It was just a stupid discussion.

-If isaka not important, then why Lani cries? –insisted Stitch.

Lilo stared at his eyes, and saw a concerned look. She had to run away from there quickly if she didn't want to do something she could regret on the future. She removed Stitch's hand from her cheek and dropped it on the ground.

-I can't tell you it now… maybe, on the future I will, but not now… thanks for comforting me –she said as she stood up and began to run away from there, leaving a very confused Stitch.

"What did she just mean with that?" wondered Stitch "Did Lani just scuffle with Victoria, or somebody else? I don't know why, but she behaved just like Lilo. I don't know if I just imagined it, but when she stared at me, she looked at me in the same way Lilo use to" then he slapped himself on his cheek "No, Stitch, you're just imagining Lilo everywhere. You won't think Lani is Lilo… or she is?"

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Finally, after some minutes, Lilo reached her house. Instead climbing the walls, as she would've done, she opened the door and shut it after she entered.

-Ahhh!!! Jumba!!! There is one of your little monsters!!! Come here NOW!!! –cried out a shrilly voice as Lilo passed the kitchen door, and a loud clang could be heard as Pleackley dropped a pot with an unknown substance on it.

-Don't be silly, Pleackley. It's me –answered Lilo, annoyed.

-Li…Li… Lilo? Is it you? What happened to you? –shouted Pleackley when he recognized Lilo's voice.

Lilo kicked herself mentally when she realized she was on experiment form. Hey, it was difficult to keep two different personalities without forget which one you're using! She sighed, not wanting to hide it from Pleackley because she was idealess already. She had used her last idea while she was with Stitch.

-It's a too large story to tell you it now, so I'll just tell you the most important: I'm in love with Stitch, so I asked Jumba to turn me into an experiment, and now I'm trying to win his heart as an experiment, but I have two personalities, so please, keep your mouth shut and don't blurt it in front of Stitch, OK?

Pleackley snickered –So you two are in love, huh? I knew it was just a matter of time before the bomb could explode.

-Pleackley!!!

-Hum, OK, but will you be like that forever? Nani will get heart-attacked if she sees you like that, and…

-No, I can change it whenever I want to… just, wait a minute… I think I have the potions right here…oh no… -she searched for the two little bottles.

-Oh no what? –asked Pleackley confused.

-I think I left them on Victoria's house!!! –Lilo began to realize about it as she searched for the two little bottles just to find nothing.

She was about to take the door handle when she heard the door bell. She peeked on the window to see who was there, and she found it was Victoria. She knew she couldn't avoid her forever, so she decided to apologize with Victoria about her own behave.

-Aloha Lilo –greeted Victoria as Lilo opened the door.

-I'm sorry, Victoria. I didn't know what I was doing. I didn't mean to make you feel frustrated nor silly. Can you forgive me? –Lilo went to the point immediately.

Victoria smiled: she knew Lilo was the kind of person that goes directly to the point.

-Apology accepted. Friends again? –asked Victoria as she offered her hand to Lilo.

-Friends –answered Lilo as she shook Victoria's hand and smiled at her.

-By the way, I think you forgot it at home –said Victoria as she gave Lilo her backpack.

-Oh, thanks!!! I don't know what I could have done without this –said Lilo as she took out the little red bottle.

-No problem –answered Victoria.

Victoria had scarcely finished her sentence when Lilo caught a distant noise. She sharpened her hearing to catch a better sign to know who was there.

- I think Stitch is coming back home. I have to change myself again into a human –sighed Lilo as she glanced at her friend.

-OK. Then I'm leaving. See you tomorrow, Lilo –said Victoria as she rushed to another way where she couldn't stumble with Stitch.

Lilo shut the door and rushed to her dome, and brought together with her the backpack and the potion. When she was already on the lift, she remembered a little detail:

-Oh, Pleackley, by the way, if Stitch asks where I am, I'm on my bed sleeping, OK?

-OK –she heard not too loud.

When she reached the dome, she hurried to take out the potion and she drunk a gulp of it. After she drunk the potion, she jumped on her bed and covered her body with the blankets to hide her experiment body, and finally she closed her eyes to pretend she was asleep.

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Stitch shut the door after he got inside the house. He had tried to find Lilo during the whole day, and he hadn't found her. He thought at last that probably she was at home, relaxing or making her homework, so he just returned home.

-Hello, little monster. You're just in time for a tasty dinner!!! –greeted Pleackley happily.

-Where's Lilo? –asked Stitch, careless about what Pleackley had told him first.

-Oh, yeah. Lilo is asleep right now. She arrived very tired from... Victoria's house –replied Pleackley, slightly hesitant.

Stitch didn't say anything; he just began to walk towards the lift.

-Hey, Stitch, don't you want to dine first?

-No, thank you, Pleackley. Meega needs to…talk about something with Lilo –explained Stitch, hardly speaking well.

Pleackley shrugged. Lilo hadn't told him anything about trying to stop Stitch from reaching the dome.

As Stitch reached the lift, his mind began to roam everywhere. There was a mixture of several feelings on his heart: fear, joy, concern, uncertainty… all the feelings he could remember "What am I gonna tell her? Shall I tell her that I'm in love with her? Or that could sound too… fast? What am I gonna do?" he told himself. Finally, the lift reached the dome. There was no escaping now; he had to do something. He saw a shape on Lilo's bed: there she was. He swallowed hardly and approached to her bed; now he was sweating lots of cold sweat. He closed his eyes, as fearing for something coming, grabbed slightly the blanket, and there was… a pillow?

Stitch opened his eyes. To his surprise, sadness and even a little of relief, there wasn't Lilo; instead, there was a huge pillow on his loved one's bed. He dropped on Lilo's bed and smelled the soft coconut scent; it seemed like if she had just left the bed, and the evidence was on that pillow impregnated with her hair scent.

He closed his eyes as he hugged the pillow; he began to dream awake with having Lilo on his arms, and then he tightened his hug on the pillow. His eyelids were beginning to get heavy, and each second it was more difficult to keep them opened; he was beginning to fall into the darkness. Before he slipped away, he heard a soft noise from outside. Alerted, he jumped of sudden on the bed and sharpened his ears to catch again that noise; he waited one minute, two, three…and nothing. His eyelids became heavy once more, and before he could realize what he was doing, he covered his body with the sheets and fell asleep. Anyway, the sky from outside was beginning to get dark, and the first stars were beginning to glow on the velvety blue sky, and the sun tossed its lasts blazes above the Hawaiian ocean before slipping away.

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Lilo couldn't stand for this anymore. She slipped off her blankets and put a pillow where her body had been resting on. She covered the huge pillow with the sheets and drunk a gulp of the blue bottle. The transformation wouldn't last for too long.

She had just drunk the potion when she heard noises on the lift. He was coming.

There was no returning. She had already drunk the potion, and she couldn't stay there like that. She rushed to the window, opened it and sneaked off. Before she could jump to the nearest tree, she saw Stitch reaching the dome inside. Her legs and arms were beginning to get furry, and when her paws had already appeared, she jumped to the nearest branch of a huge tree.

She smiled. She could see everything from there, and she hardly could be detected. She saw how Stitch dropped on her bed and tightened his grip on the pillow softly, just like he would have taken a bouquet of flowers. He looked so cute when he was sleepy…she wanted to have a better look of him, and she tried to approach to the window, but the slender branch under her cracked. She held her breathing; she didn't know if Stitch had heard that.

During some seconds that seemed like an eternity, she held her breathing and her whole body, hoping that Stitch hadn't heard her. Finally, she peeked inside to assure Stitch hadn't heard her; she saw him sleeping on her bed peacefully and an untroubled expression was on his face. She sighed with relief as she freed her breathe again, and climbed to the dome.

She drunk the red bottle's content and she entered the dome. At least she was sure there was nobody that could've seen her. She glanced at her angel, already asleep on the silky sheets. She thought that he hardly could look like the dangerous 626; there wasn't the experiment 626, there was Stitch… _her _Stitch.

She leaned on and kissed tenderly his cheek. Stitch stretched under the blankets, and sighed asleep. He was dreaming with her, and she didn't know it.

She wanted to reveal him her secret, but she was still hesitant. She thought about it and sighed; she would have to wait for that moment.

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Unfortunately, there was somebody that saw her. He barely believed what his eyes had just seen. It was just too hard to accept that a human could get so quickly the appearance of an experiment, but his eyes confirmed what they had just seen when she turned into a human again. He couldn't believe it.

As he was still recovering from his shock, he felt something vibrating on one of his extra arms, which he had retracted. He pulled it out and saw that cell phone-like devise vibrating, demanding to be answered. He opened the lid and saw on the other side a gerbil-like one.

-Tell me, Leroy, how are you doing there? –Hamsterviel asked –Do you have any new?

Leroy smirked –Ih! Good new! Meega has perfect plan!!! 626 shattered!!!

-That's a good new, Leroy!!! Now, go there and… do what you have to do…

Leroy cut the communication. He would carry out his plan soon; he just had to wait for the opportunity. The cold breeze began to blow softly, and he felt something, like a paper, stroking his face. He growled and took it away. He realized it was a brochure, and curious, he began to read it. It was a brochure inviting everybody to a festival that would be done for the next week to receive the spring. It was announced that there the food would be offered by lots, among other things, but something special caught his attention: it was announced as well that there was going to be presented a hula dance to greet the spring, as every year. He saw the list of the girls that were gonna present the dance, and at last there was that name: _LILO PELEKAI_.

He smirked once more as he tossed the brochure. Next week would be the perfect opportunity to carry out his plan… and his revenge would be done.


	10. Chapter 9

Huff!!! Finally, I updated chapter nine on Fan Fiction!!! And finally I made a comment here!!! Well, I hadn't been able to update it because my computer was having some troubles with the antivirus, so it didn't allow me to update the chapter on my computer. Well, not too much to say about this chapter, this is the longest chapter I've ever done, about ten pages on Word. I really had fun writing it. Hope you like it!!!_**  
**_

_**WHAT'S THE BEST CHOICE?**_

_Chapter 9_

_Revenge begins_

When the school week began, things turned hard for Lilo and the other girls, because Moses insisted in practicing for the Spring Festival so they could be prepared when the moment bring up.

As well as Lilo, Stitch had have a difficult week, because each time he wanted to talk with Lilo about what happened that night, he never found her well-disposed to talk; when he wanted to talk with her at mornings, he always found her bed empty, and if he wanted to go to the hula school, he always found the doors closed (I know, a door probably wouldn't normally stop Stitch, but he didn't want to put in ridicule Lilo. He didn't trust too much on Mertle's change), and he just waited for them to go out, but hours passed and it didn't seem like they were going to go out, so he always passed for some food because his stomach demanded to have some food.

He used to go to the town to "buy" (that's to say he "borrow" some snacks) some food to calm down his roaring stomach, and he stayed there some hours, wasting some time to wait for Lilo to exit. When he finished his meal, about at 6 o' clock, he used to walk calmly to the hula school. When he reached the school, the doors were still closed, but if he peeked inside, he always would see that the school was totally empty. He knew that Victoria's mom was who picked up the girls to bring them to their houses, but he didn't know if Lilo was already at home, so sometimes he rushed to the Pelekai house or sometimes he just began to walk calmly, making his way to home.

When he reached home, he never asked if Lilo was at home, he just rushed to the dome to see if Lilo was there. Most of times he found her sleeping peacefully on her bed; sometimes he tried to wake her up, but she just moaned and turned to face the wall; other times he just let her sleep. Now today was Saturday, and next day the Festival was gonna be presented.

When he arrived home, he saw Pleackley preparing the dinner, as every night; he saw Jumba watching the TV on Discovery Channel. As he watched the TV, he laughed to see the scientist having troubles on some things that were too simple for him to do. Nani should be at home, but she wasn't, because David and she had gone to dine on some secret place they only knew.

-Oh, hello little monster. Wanna dine now, or do you want to wait? —Pleackley saw Stitch and greeted him as he was moving a ladle inside a pot. A weird aroma was filling the kitchen; it smelt just like if cheese and chocolate, among other unknown aromas, would've mixed together.

-Naga. Meega wait —replied Stitch. Even if he ate almost anything, this time he wasn't very sure about what Pleackley was preparing. Then the bell ringed. Pleackley went to open the door, already with a wig on his head. Stitch began to walk towards the lift. Before the lift began to rise, he heard Pleackley's shrilly voice:

-Pizza!!! Who could have ordered pizza with me preparing the dinner?

-Am not sure. Perhaps bigger girl did. What are you doing?

-I'm preparing a delicious dinner. It's a chocolate pizza!!! —replied Pleackley proudly, and that was the last Stitch heard before he reached the dome. To his surprise, Lilo wasn't there. Finally!!! He had arrived earlier than Lilo. Now he could talk alone with her. "Wait a minute. Am I going to be _alone_?" he thought scared. Of course, he wanted to talk with Lilo, but he wasn't sure if he did want to talk rightnow with Lilo. He didn't know what to say, or what he was going to do.

As he began to panic, he heard a car outside parking. He peeked on the window and saw a red van stopping and activating the intermittent light. He saw a person exiting the van and waving her hands to the ones that were inside the van. He gulped when he saw the raven haired girl: Lilo had arrived!!! He wasn't ready yet. As he panicked, the lift began whirring, which took him out from his mixed thoughts. He knew it was her.

-What a hard day!!! I'd bet Moses wanna kill us of fatigue. I can't give a step more!

Lilo yawned and dropped on her bed, her face showing a tired expression. She didn't even notice Stitch standing there, with no clear ideas crossing his head. He was panicked.

-Hum…err, aloha Lilo —he greeted. His knees were trembling slightly.

-Aloha Stitch —she said, thinking she was already on Slumber Land.

-Meega…wants to talk with Lilo.

-Uh-huh? About what? —she sat on her bed, staring at Stitch with sleepy eyes.

Stitch gulped. He knew it wasn't going to be easy. He sat on her bed, next to her, and took Lilo's hand, locking it with his two hands. Lilo opened startled her eyes for a moment, but her eyelids were getting heavier and her sleepy expression returned to her face quickly. She was falling each time deeper on the darkness.

-Lilo? Remember night meega kissed you?

Lilo nodded tiredly. Stitch felt his throat drying, so he had again to swallow saliva. He wanted to talk, but his broken English and his dried throat were stopping him to say what he wanted to say. He swallowed loudly. He wasn't going to permit those little problems to stop him.

-Meega…Stitch wants say…I…I…—he felt the words stopping on his tongue.

-What? –asked Lilo as she closed her face to Stitch's. Stitch was getting more nervous.

-I…want…to say…that… Stitch loves…I…love…you —he said, blinking like if he had licked a lemon.

When he opened his eyes, he saw Lilo smiling dreamily.

-Do… you love me? —she asked, her smile lengthening, closing even more her face to his. Stitch stared at her eyes, and then lowered his sight to her smiling lips.

He knew he wanted to cover that wonderful smile with his own lips, and that he couldn't resist too many seconds more.

-Ih. Meega… loves Lilo… a lot… ih…a whole lot —he began to close as well his face to his best friend's.

Now the moment had arrived: he had to kiss her. He saw how she began to close her eyes, and copying her action, he closed his eyes too, waiting for that wonderful, magic moment. Now his lips were a few inches away from hers, and he could smell her shampoo scent. He was feeling now her slow breath on his face, and he knew it: his lips were about to collide with hers. Time stopped, but he couldn't feel yet her lips on his; instead, he felt something soft landing on his chest.

He opened his eyes slowly, wondering why he hadn't felt anything, and as he opened his eyes, he saw it: Lilo had fallen asleep, and now she was leaning on his chest, sleeping calmly. The softness he had felt when he had his eyes closed, that softness was her silky, straight hair, cascading down her head.

Stitch sighed. That magic that had been on the air some seconds ago had dissipated now, leaving instead another kind of magic there.

He tried to move away slowly, trying to keep her asleep, not wanting to wake his angel up; he began to move away, but Lilo began to stretch upon his lap uncomfortably and she wrapped her arms around his sides, hugging him tightly and stopping him completely from what he was about to do. He widened his eyes and dropped slightly his jaw with the surprise, but after a moment he recovered his composure and hugged her tightly as well, causing her chest to be glued to his. She moved once more and raised her arms to wrap his neck now, leaving his arms wrapping her waist, his cheek was glued to hers as well. He began running his hand through her back up and down soothingly, enjoying the moment. If he hadn't kissed her, it wasn't the same, that's true, but it felt almost as good as a kiss would've felt like.

He wished the moment to never end, but after some minutes that seemed like an eternity, he loosened his grip and untied his arms from her waistline, but she kept her arms wrapping his neck. He took her on his arms, cradling her, and lifted her body. He removed the blanket and placed her on the bed; he took the blankets again on his hands and covered his friend's body, but she didn't loose her grip on his neck trough.

"No, Lilo. We have to wait" he thought to himself, and tried to pull away. Finally, Lilo let him go, and sighed. Stitch wasn't sure if Lilo knew what she was doing, or if she was just dreaming. He didn't know it, but he knew he had loved those precious moments when Lilo and he had shared the beats of their hearts.

He thought about all this and climbed to his cot. He tried to revive those moments again as he covered his body with the sheets. As he remembered her face closing to his, he slipped down into the darkness, and the last he saw was her face smiling at him.

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Meanwhile, Hamsterviel cut the communication. He had just talked with Leroy, and the news he gave him were really good. He had told him that he had found the way to make 626 suffer slowly, because he had found somebody that he loved dearly. After he ended with the life of that person, he would make 626 to desire his own death to stop suffering.

-Now that my Leroy will end with the life of that Experiment 626 and with the life of the little Hawaiian girl, I won't have anybody to stop me from doing my evil plans!!! I'll capture all the 625 experiments and I'll use their powers to rule the Universe, and the stupid Galactic Council won't have anybody to save them now!!! –shouted in victory Hamsterviel, and let out an evil laugh.

On a dark nook of an adjacent room, somebody heard the victory shouts. She had heard all what he had said about Stitch and Lilo, and dropped herself inside the glass capsule. A small tear slid from her eyes, making a wet trail through her fur. She had heard as well Leroy talking to Hamsterviel, and even if he had said some words mixed with broken English and some Turian, she had understood everything. She didn't want them to die, especially Stitch. She still loved him, and she hadn't forgotten him. She desired everyday to escape from that horrible place and go back to her home, but each day that passed, she lost some of her hope, until she had almost nothing of hope. She wanted to see his love again, her Stitch… she missed him deeply.

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Stitch woke up as the sunbeams caressed his face. He woke up slowly, stretching to wake up faster. He opened his eyes tiredly and tried to focus his sight. When everything became clear again, he saw Lilo sleeping on her bed. He thought on waking her up. He did nothing but walked approaching to the lift, and went downstairs. On the kitchen, Nani was already awaken and preparing the breakfast.

-Morning Stitch –greeted Nani.

-Morning –yawned Stitch.

-Wanna take some breakfast?

Stitch stared at her during some moments. He thought Nani was more reliable than Pleackley on the meals, so he just nodded.

-OK. Sit down, then —smiled Nani. It was a really strange thing from her to smile at Stitch, but she was happy. Stitch suspected that something happened between her and David, but he didn't take too much care about it. Then he saw a ring glistening on her hand. He knew that meant something, but he just couldn't remember what it meant…

-Morning everybody! —greeted a familiar voice. Stitch whirled his head and he saw her: his angel had already awaken. She looked beautiful like that: her face had got a slight scarlet blush, and her hair cascaded down her back, shining with the morning sun.

-Morning baby —Nani said smiling. Lilo stared at her, finding strange her sister being so smiling. Normally she was on a bad mood at mornings. What was going on?

-Nani? Do you feel okay? —Lilo asked startled. Nani smiled even more and showed the ring on her hand. Lilo remained speechless.

-A-are you two going…?

-Yes, Lilo. David and I are gonna marry —Nani answered to her sister's amazed glance. Lilo didn't know what to do at first, but after some seconds she let out a loud shriek and hugged Nani.

-I can't believe it!!! I'm gonna gain a new brother!!! —shouted Lilo as Nani returned her hug –When is gonna be the wedding?

-Well, I know it's a little bit fast, but it will be the next month —smiled Nani, some tears escaping her eyes.

-That's just so good!!! I can't believe he loves you though the way you cook! I really don't know what are you gonna give him to eat —Lilo smirked as she glanced at her sister.

-Oh, really? Do you think I'm so bad at cooking? —Nani mocked as she began to tickle her little sister's belly.

-N-no!!! Wait!!! Stop TICKLING ME!!!!! HA HA HA HA HA!!!!! —she burst on laughs, begging her sister to let her go. "So that's what the ring means. I couldn't remember" Stitch thought as he saw the two sisters playing on the floor. After some minutes of laughs and tickles, Nani let her go.

-OK, Lilo, wanna take breakfast? Pleackley told me you arrived so tired that you didn't even dine. Aren't you hungry? —asked Nani.

Lilo sighed —True is I don't even remember what I did last night. The last thing I remember is… —Lilo forced her mind to remember something. Stitch perked his ears: he did want to hear if she remembered what had happened between them —…I think last I remember was me dropping on my bed and closing my eyes. That's all. I don't remember if I dined, so most probable is I didn't dine —she concluded.

Stitch lowered his ears "Then you don't remember we were about to kiss, right? I think I knew it; you couldn't have wanted to kiss me that way because you were too drowsy" Stitch said to himself. It was sad for him that she couldn't remember anything about what happened between them, because now he had to tell her again what he was feeling about her.

-OK. Then sit and just wait while I prepare your breakfast —Nani's voice took Stitch out of his thoughts. Lilo took a chair and sat next to Stitch.

-Morning Stitch —Lilo greeted Stitch.

-Aloha, Lilo —replied Stitch, thinking on what moment could be the best to tell her that he loved her.

-OK, here's your breakfast –offered Nani as she put on the table two plates, each one of them contained two eggs and two slices of fried bacon. Lilo stared at the kitchen clock for a moment, and then returned quickly her eyes to the clock.

-Nine and forty-five??? I'm getting late!!! I promised Victoria I would be at her house at ten o' clock!!! —she shouted worriedly and began to eat quickly her breakfast.

-Meega go with Lilo? –offered Stitch.

Lilo gulped down the bacon and nodded —OK, but hurry up!

Stitch smiled and tossed the whole plate on his mouth, drunk all his milk, stared at the glass and gobbled it as well. Then he ate the milk pack that was on the table, and Lilo just smiled a the sight of a milk trail running down his lips.

-Stitch!!! That was the 4th plate you have ate on the week!!! And that was the 6th glass!!!!—yelled Nani angrily.

-Oops. Soka? —apologized Stitch.

-It's OK, Nani. Pleackley will never notice that some of his plates and glasses are missing —Lilo pleaded for her best friend.

-OK, but if Pleackley asks about his incomplete crockery, you'll have to tell him that Stitch ate it —huffed Nani as she sat frustrated on a chair.

-Like if Pleackley could do some kind of damage to us –whispered Lilo and both snickered —I'd be afraid if he were Nani —she murmured at last before open the door.

-I heard you!!! —they heard Nani compelling inside home as Stitch jumped inside the buggy.

-Stitch? What are you…?

-Lilo needs arrive quickly. Stitch take Lilo to Victoria's house!!! —Stitch said happily. Lilo smiled:

-OK. Then let's go!!!

Stitch turned on the motor of the buggy and they began to run down across the road that would lead them faster to Victoria's house. The festival was gonna begin at four o'clock, so they would have a lot of time to do whatever they wanted to. It was barely 10:05 a.m.

Finally, they arrived. Victoria was outside, maybe waiting for them, or maybe she was just doing nothing. When she saw her friends arriving, she waved her hand to them.

-Aloha Lilo!!! Aloha Stitch!!!

-Aloha!!! —Lilo and Stitch said at the same time. Stitch parked the buggy in front of the doorway, and after they jumped out.

-Is everybody already here? —asked Lilo.

-Yep, all of them are here. What do we do first? Do you want to take some snacks?

-No, thanks. Stitch and I have just taken breakfast. I think it would be better if we practice some more times the hula dance we're gonna present tonight.

-Tonight? —asked Victoria as they came in.

-Yeah, tonight. Don't you remember before us there'll be other especial spectacles? If the festival is gonna begin at four o'clock and before us there are gonna be about thirteen shows, I think at that time there'll be already nightfall, right?

-That's true. Okay, I think we can have some practice before the Festival starts. If we have some time, we can go to the beach…

-Aloha Lilo!!! —greeted the choir of girls. Stitch couldn't help but growl quietly. Lilo had just to pat him softly on the head to calm him down.

-Aloha girls!!! —Lilo returned the salute.

After Lilo arrived, they agreed on having some practice before the Festival. Stitch had asked just one time where was Lani, but Victoria had told him that she went out with some friends to the town, and he didn't asked anything else.

They practiced until noon, and they ate lunch. After lunch they practiced once more until 2:00. Then they stopped and decided to go to the beach to have some fun. Everybody had brought their swim suits, and they played on the beach until 3:00, when they stopped playing and went back to Victoria's house, so her mom could bring them to the festival, which was going to be on Mai Puli Beach. They rushed inside the red van, and then they began to make their way to Mai Puli Beach. Lilo asked if Stitch could go with them, and Victoria's mom agreed with the condition that Lilo could take the responsibility in case Stitch did a prank. To her relief, Stitch kept quiet during all the way, although the girls' stirrings.

Finally, they arrived Mai Puli Beach. The festival had already began, but they didn't take too much care about that. It wasn't time for their dance yet, so they could do anything. They bought some snacks and climbed to the attractions there. Finally, after two hours of fun and jokes, somebody on the microphone called them for their dance.

-OK girls, you're being called. Go to the stage —suggested Victoria's mom. The girls nodded and walked towards the stage.

-It's our turn, right? —asked Victoria to one of the guys in charge of the stage.

-No, it was just the first call. Actually, your dance will be in about fifteen minutes —answered the guy.

-OK, we have fifteen minutes. We can go change our clothes meanwhile –said Lilo. Everybody nodded.

-We can go to the beach dressing rooms –suggested Yuki.

-Then let's go —said Mertle as she entered one near there. Every girl took one of the five dressing rooms there, leaving Lilo outside.

-Wanna pass first, Lilo? I can wait outside if you want —offered Victoria when she saw that Lilo was left alone.

-No, it's okay. I can change my clothes on the woods —replied Lilo as she approached to the plentiful weeds, and hid behind a thick tree. Stitch went after her, but she said him what she was going to do and he had to wait over the tree she had chosen. She finished quickly, unlike to the other girls, who were delaying too much. Lilo decided to stay near the tree she had chosen. It was a comfortable place.

-OK Stitch, I'm ready. You can open your eyes now —announced Lilo as she went out, already with her hula costume.

Stitch opened his eyes, and when he saw Lilo, the air escaped his lips, leaving him speechless. The top was a glittering red cloth that sparkled each time she moved, and in the lower part had a cloth sewed that was cut in narrow, white shining strips that seemed like sparkles. She was wearing as well a le'i (the Hawaiian name for the flowers necklace. I don't know how to write it, so if I mistook the word, I'm sorry) with some red flowers that matched with her red top and the blush on her face. The grassy skirt had as well some decorations on the top of it, consistent in little pieces of white, sparkling cloth, remarking her slightly slimmer waist.

She seemed so pretty…so beautiful…

-How do I look like? —asked Lilo as she tried to model, and her voice took away Stitch from his trance. Stitch had to shake slightly his head to get on the real world again. He had just got lost on the sight of Lilo.

-B…be…beautiful —he stuttered out, not because his bad English. It was because his brain was still getting okay from the shock of that sight.

Lilo smiled at the stuttering of her best friend as her face flushed even more with that awkward feeling again. She knew she was blushing because the warmth she felt gathering on her cheeks.

-Thanks… —she whispered, inaudibly for a human hear, but Stitch could hear her voice. Suddenly, he realized they were alone. He turned his head to his sides, assuring no girl had still gone out the dressing rooms… no, nobody was out. It was the perfect opportunity!!! He sighed uneasily as he prepared himself for this…

-Hum, Lilo? —he said, the words were beginning to stop at his throat again.

-What's going, Stitch? —Lilo asked, dropping her face to hide her furious blushing from Stitch. Even if it was beginning to get dark, she knew Stitch could notice it, thanks to his dark-vision. Stitch gulped. He took Lilo's hand and leaded her to a fallen log near there, and he sat there. Lilo was startled, but she imitated Stitch's moving and she sat as well on the log, which was being used now like a seat. When she sat down, she noticed that Stitch deflected his eyes aside, and she noticed that he was staring at a flowers shrub. They were like the flower her mom had on that photo of the hula competence winners. She began to divert her attention to the flowers when she felt Stitch's hand squeezing hers. She turned immediately her head to face him. He seemed to be nervous, and as he stroked her hands, his breath became slightly faster. Finally, he turned his head to face her as well. Lilo could see on his eyes the fear and nervousness look she had seen only when he had been, a long time ago, trying to win Angel's heart. Finally, he began to speak:

-Lilo… meega can't… stand it more… so meega wants to say… meega wants to say that…—the thoughts on his head were disordered, but he compelled his brain to order the thoughts on his mind—Remember night meega kissed Lilo?

She nodded. She felt the needing of smile, but not with happiness, but with nervousness.

-Yes. Why? —she asked timidly as she dropped again her face. Stitch, noticing this, raised his hand and took her chin between his thumb and his index and raised her face, so he could see her face. Lilo trembled at his touch, but left him do what he was doing. Stitch was about to say that he loved her, but it was so hard for him… then he stared at her eyes… those sweet eyes which looked at him with sympathy and even love… he had fallen in love with the look on those eyes that told him all the love she felt for him… then he began to close his face to hers, haunted by those eyes. Why to tell he loved her with words when he could tell her it with acts?

Lilo had gotten nervous too. She didn't know what to say, and the ideas escaped completely from her mind when she felt Stitch's eyes sticking into her eyes… she recognized the same look of his black orbs she had seen that evening before visiting Angel and Elvis… that look filled with love… but this time there was no shame on his eyes… it was sheer love. She felt like melting in that right place when she felt his hand attracting her face to his own… she felt how her face was beginning to tremble, and she didn't know if it was because the cool breeze or if it was because… because… now she could feel his breath on her face… just a few millimeters more and their lips would be touching…

-Lilo!!! —she heard a near voice, calling her with so much force that both of them jumped with the freak. The voice owner was Victoria.

-There you are!!! I had been looking for you for a looooong time!!! —said Victoria as she noticed the two friends sat on the log, near the flowers.

-How long have you been looking for me? —Lilo began to feel like if she had just been awaked up by Nani's yellings.

-We have just two minutes to get in the stage!!! Come on Lilo!!! We have to hurry!!! —Victoria didn't pay attention to Lilo's question.

-W-what??? —Lilo was still on another planet. She couldn't get completely her mind back.

-Have you found her? —Mertle appeared behind the leafy bushes, being followed by the other three girls. Victoria turned her body to see at the new comers and they began to talk between them. Lilo was still getting back her mind, while Stitch was looking confused. He had been so close…!!! He was getting his mind back as well as Lilo, so he couldn't do anything well: he couldn't think, he couldn't walk… he was motionless.

-Hey, where's Lilo? I thought you had said you had found her? —Elena said as she turned her head to everywhere. The others imitated her moving and tried to look for Lilo.

-Lilo!!! LILO!!!!! —Yuki and Teresa shouted, calling for Lilo.

-I think she's already on the stage. I told her we had a short time to get there —said Victoria, pointing to an illuminated place slightly far from there.

-Then what are we waiting for? Let's go!!! –Mertle commanded as everybody nodded and followed her.

"Great!!! Another ruined opportunity. How am I supposed to tell her I love her if she has disappeared?" thought Stitch. He had got back his mind now, and now he could think clearly again. He hit his face against a tree, in a sign of frustration. "Wait a minute…I didn't see her leaving to show in the stage… then where is she???" he realized. Then he caught that smell… it was that smell he knew so good since the experiments began activating on Earth… but this smell was slightly singular… "No, it can't be true. He's on jail, right?" he thought he had caught Leroy's scent, but the he began to doubt "He's at jail, right?"

He heard a soft shrieking from the woods. He thought at first it was some animal, but the shriek repeated, now sounding for longer and it sounded like a… like an anguish compelling. Then he recognized _her_ crying.

-Lilo? Where are you?? –he squeaked out, the panic was taking him now… he sharpened his hearing sense…

-S…—he heard softly—STITCH!!!!! HEL…!!!! —he heard the interrupted cries, sounding with all the possible anguish. Then he began to run towards the place he had heard Lilo… he knew that his boojibu was in danger, and he had to save her at _any_ price now.

-Lilo!!! LILO!!!!!!! —he shouted, totally panicked—WHERE ARE YOU???????

Then he saw two shapes on the darkness. He activated as quickly as possible his night-vision.

-Stitch!!! Help!!! —Lilo yelped as she tried to detach from the captor's arms, who was forcing her to enter on a spaceship.

What Stitch saw panicked him totally… Leroy had his freedom back… and now he had Lilo too.

**Quick summary of next chapter: Lilo has been already captured, and even if Stitch tried to stop him, he used everything against Stitch. Now what will Stitch do? He just wanted to tell Lilo how he feels about her and now there happens this... however, she'll find somebody she hadn't seen on a long while and thought she was dead... here begins the problem.**


	11. Chapter 10

OK, I know I delayed a little bit to update this one, but my computer wasn't allowing me to enter to Fan Fiction or Deviant Art, so I had to ask my dad to fix that and... well, that's why I delayed on updating this chapter. Anyway, it's already here, so hope you like it!!!

_**WHAT'S THE BEST CHOICE?**_

_Chapter 10_

"_Until we met again…"_

-What do you mean she's not here??? —Victoria asked, the worry growing wide in her eyes.

-I mean she's not been here since you left to change your clothes. Are all of you sure that she came here? –asked the guy on the stage as he got more nervous, knowing that the girls should be making their entrance in just 120 seconds.

The girls stared at each other worriedly. They were not sure if Lilo had left to show in the stage. Victoria peeked to the other side of the stage. There were some people that were starting to leave; some of them were just arriving. There was her mom, her dad, her friends' families… then she realized that Nani, Jumba and Pleackley had just arrived to the seats place. She widened her eyes in realization:

-Look there!!! There's Lilo's sister!!! Lilo could be with her—Mertle cried as she saw Nani taking seat along with Jumba, Pleackley and David. The girls turned their heads to see Lilo's family, and realizing Lilo could be there, they rushed to the seats place.

-I hope we can manage to see Lilo. I wonder if the hula show is just gonna start or if it has just passed —said Nani as she glared at Pleackley, slightly angrily —Did you really had to bring all those stuff with you? —she pointed to the huge ball of wool he was hugging tightly, barely being able to take it on his arms.

-Of course, it's necessary!!! The weather girl said weather was gonna be extremely cold that there'll be snow everywhere!!! So I thought, being so cautious as always, that I would need to make some kind of sweater for Lilo. She didn't bring one for herself, right? —he said as he showed the deformed piece of wool.

-Where did you see that weather girl???

-I saw the program while I was shopping my new slippers. The row was large, I was bored and I decided to watch some TV, and then I saw on the news that girl with a funny accent saying that in the north part there'll be really cold… I couldn't see really well the screen… ahead me was a woman really tall, and…

-Pleackley, what you were watching wasn't a local program… you must've heard a weather forecast from another state that isn't exactly Hawaii!!! —Nani muttered, already at the verge of her patience, as Victoria and all the girls approached her:

-Hum, Miss Nani? —Victoria said hesitantly.

-Aloha Victoria! —greeted Nani —where's Lilo? I thought she would be with you. After all, your show must start in just some minutes, right?

-Hum, yeah, it's just that Lilo isn't with us. We came to you to ask if Lilo was here, because we haven't seen her either.

-What do you mean she's not with you? She couldn't just have left like that!!! —Nani stared at the girl startled. She whirled her head to see the same confused looking on everybody's faces, and they stared at each other worriedly. "I don't have a good feeling about this. I hope she hasn't got into a trouble" Nani thought as she stared at her confused family.

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Stitch stared panicked at the scene. The shock was freezing his blood, but he knew he had to overcame the shock to do something about Leroy… he couldn't just let him to do his willing without even struggling to stop him.

-Lilo!!! —Stitch cried out worriedly. The growl on his throat grew louder as he stared at Leroy; his blood was starting to boil, and then prepared himself to attack him at any moment.

-Goocha!!! —Leroy ordered as he lifted the gun cannon, aiming at Lilo's side, then to her head. She stopped struggling under his arms when she felt something cold on her bare skin, and she gulped when she noticed the gun lifting to her head.

Stitch halted then. He didn't know what to do; it would've been easier if Gantu or Hamsterviel were the ones with the gun on their hands, because he surely would beat them down with no problem… but the gun wasn't on their hands… it was on Leroy's hands. He just hadn't any idea… Leroy was totally unpredictable… with a gun on his hands you could guess quickly what he had on mind.

Leroy smirked as he noticed the panicked expression on Stitch's face. He knew he wouldn't do anything that would mean Lilo getting harmed, because he loved her… by Lilo's side, it was easy: he had just to frighten her enough to paralyze her as well, leaving her motionless to do anything for herself.

Stitch started sweating when he saw Leroy approaching to the spaceship entrance. He knew that he had to stop him before he entered the spaceship; it would be more difficult to stop him once he was inside… he had just to wait…

Suddenly, Lilo twisted her body inside of his arms, escaping from the captor's grip, and she began running towards Stitch. Leroy didn't delay even a second: he lifted the gun and aimed the cannon to Lilo's body.

-Lilo!!! NOOO!!!!!!!! —Stitch shouted as he saw Leroy shooting a blue blaster from the gun. Lilo was just a few meters away from him… she was about to escape from Leroy, but then the blaster reached her, and then the shock ran through her blood, through her veins, just like an electric hit… she dropped on the ground and remained motionless.

-LILO!!!!!!!! —Stitch cried as he saw Lilo passing out and falling on the carpet of wet grass. He rushed to her side as he prayed for Lilo to be fine on his mind… he knew he just couldn't forgive himself if Lilo died, because it would be his entire fault. Finally, he reached her and knelt beside her… he closed his face to her chest to look for some kind of live evidence.

A big tear rolled his cheek. Her heart was still beating. She was still_ alive. _Slowly, she half opened her eyes and looked at him, and some tears gathered on the edge of her beautiful eyes:

-S… Stitch…p-please… take me h-home… I'm feeling t-too weak to…

Stitch placed gently a finger on her mouth to silent her. He didn't want her to talk… he just wanted her to get okay, and not to use her poor strength to talk.

He placed his arms underneath her back and lifted her, cuddling her between his strong arms. Lilo wrapped weakly her arms around his neck and hid her face on his chest, nuzzling it with her nose. Stitch began to walk, but he had given just two steps when a blue blaster hit him as well. Stitch let out a loud cry as he felt the burning pain on his back and shoving him, sending him through the air. As he was sent flying on the air, his arms loosened their grip around Lilo's sides, dropping accidentally the girl on the dusty ground, as he just crashed against a near palm tree. He moaned when he felt the air escaping his lungs as he hit the tree by his sides, and finally he reached the ground. After some seconds, when the pain became more bearable, he tried to jump to his feet, but his legs didn't respond to his willing, instead he felt his blood freezing slowly. He tried to move his arms then, but they didn't respond either; as he struggled against his own body, he realized slowly that the plasma shot worked as a freezing shot, instead the usual burning, harmful shot. He moved hardly his head just in time to see Leroy taking Lilo from the ground carelessly:

-L-Li…Lilo… —cried Stitch, but the single sound that went out his throat was a soft whisper. That was the loudest he could spoke on that moment: even his voice was some kinda frozen.

-Stitch! —Lilo cried softly as the red experiment put her on his shoulders, like a flour sack.

He saw how Leroy approached quickly to the spaceship, and taking strength from nowhere, he lifted his arms hardly and pulled his body up just as Leroy entered the spaceship. The sky was already a dark blue color, and the first stars were showing on the dark night cloak. Stitch could barely see well, but to keep himself unnoticeable, he didn't activate his night-vision and just jumped to the back part of the spaceship, where was placed a crystal pod (like the one Gantu had on his spaceship on the first movie).

Meanwhile, inside the ship, Lilo was getting okay from the freezing effect the shot had on her. She could already move her arms and legs with slight struggling. Leroy turned on the spaceship and tipped the coordinates on the computer. The ship began vibrating slightly and then it lifted on the air. After the ship was done, Leroy took his seat on the piloting room. He didn't bother himself to lock Lilo on some pod or cell, because he thought the freezing effect would be enough to work until they arrived to Hamsterviel's ship.

As Leroy sat on his comfortable seat, Lilo was still laying down on the ship's steel floor, where she had been placed by her captor. She was sobbing softly on that dark corner of the ship as she thought about her family and hid her face between her crossed arms: what if she never sees them again? What if Leroy and Hamsterviel had already decided to end with her life as revenge? She didn't know, and that was what troubled her the most: she didn't know if she was going to see Stitch again… her love. Her weeping grew louder, but Leroy didn't take care about it.

Suddenly, the white lights that were filling the room turned into a red light, and the intruder alarm began sounding. That distracted Lilo for a while and she lifted her head to see the cause of the alarm: could that be Stitch?

Leroy rushed to the computer screen and saw a little, glistening blue point on the back part of the ship that moved to the top of the ship. He growled: he could make out who was the intruder. He said something under his breath on his language as he activated the auto-pilot, opened the hatch and went out.

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When the spaceship was lifting on the air, Stitch was trying to get rid of the freezing effect. He hadn't completely the control of his body, and that was making difficult things for him. The warm sea breeze was hitting him, and what he could have done easily with complete control of his body was now a difficult task. Sometimes he was about to fall from the spaceship to the sea, which now was under them, but he always found the way to get attached to something to keep him upon the ship. Slowly, he crawled to the top of the ship. It wasn't a small ship indeed, but he needed to enter soon to the piloting cab to take Lilo home and… well, he didn't know still what to do to Leroy, he had done too much things just to decide quickly what he could do about him… but one thing was sure: he would make Leroy regret even touching _his _Lilo, and even more he would regret to have hurt himself and over all his boojibu…

But as he thought about what he should do to Leroy, he heard somebody climbing up to the top of the ship, and a loud growl could be heard. He whirled his head just to receive a really strong hit on his face that sent him skidding through the cold steel of the ship.

-Grrrr, meega nala queesta!!! —he heard as he saw a shadow emerging from the darkness, and then noticed the red pupils of the one that had hit him.

Stitch moaned as he felt the pain on his face, but he pulled him up and charged against Leroy. Leroy was growling, and when he saw Stitch rushing towards him, he charged against him too. When they reached each other, Stitch lifted his fist to punch him, but suddenly he disappeared from his sight. He looked for him everywhere, already with his night-vision, but all of sudden he felt something heavy knocking him to the ground, and before he could reach the cold steel Leroy began bunching him repeatedly on his back. Stitch felt just how his face reached the cold steel of the ship and the powerful punching on his back. He moaned, but somehow the freezing effect disappeared completely and the strength returned to his body; he smiled satisfied and twisted quickly his body under Leroy. Leroy gasped as he saw Stitch standing up, and then he punched him, sending his body flying through the air, and then Stitch saw how Leroy fell out of any ground on the ship, letting him know that he fell to the sea waters. He moved away the frown on his face and went to the front part of the ship to take Lilo with him.

While Stitch and Leroy were fighting, Lilo assured Leroy wasn't on the piloting cab, and when she saw there was nobody, she approached to the windscreen. She had the hope Stitch had came back for her, and she wanted to wait for him there. Finally, she heard some quick steps above her, on the steel roof. She kept her respiration when she saw a dark shadow in front of the windscreen… it could be Stitch, as well as Leroy… the shadow approached the windscreen, and Lilo hid behind the pilot seat… she heard how the crystal of the windscreen was broken, and she kept even more her breath…

-Lilo?

She let out her respiration. She knew that voice!!! The voice she had been waiting so much for…

-Stitch!!!

Lilo went out her hiding place and rushed to the voice owner, and tossed her arms to Stitch's neck, hugging him on tight. Stitch returned the hug, and tightened his grip on her waist… after some seconds of hugging he remembered that he needed to lead the ship to the island, so he and Lilo could be completely safe back on Kauai:

-Lilo… meega needs to… steer spaceship to Kauai… —he said worriedly as he pulled her away.

-Then what are you doing? Let's go!!! —Lilo smiled at Stitch and stared at him… he was her hero… her _real_ hero… he had saved her from loneliness when she was younger… he had gathered all the little pieces of her broken heart and had stuck them together… he had saved her from committing a stupid thing when her parents died… he had saved her just at every time she had needed him… and now, he was saving her again: he had saved her already from Leroy's hands, and now he was saving her once more.

She thought about all of this as she saw how he took the controls of the ship and began to lead the spaceship to the beach. She felt a huge relief and sat next to Stitch's pilot seat, and then leaned her head on his shoulder and hugged him. Stitch gulped when he felt the tight hug, but returned it and embraced her by her shoulders. They would get the beach on a few seconds more…

Suddenly, a blue flash went out from nowhere, and a plasma blaster hit Stitch, blinding both of them… she fell to the cold floor and just heard Stitch moaning, quelling about the flash and the plasma shot his body had received. She could see a shape emerging from the darkest corner of the ship, and even if her vision was blurry, she could tell the shape was Leroy…

-Eengatu queesta… eegata patookie —Leroy growled bitterly as he approached the fallen experiment on the ground and kept his gun… Stitch moaned, just to get kicked by Leroy on his right side, and the worst was he couldn't do anything to stop him… it was again the freezing blaster which had frozen him, leaving him helpless to defend himself against Leroy's attacks… once more he received a powerful kick, which sent him flying through the room to end crashing against the wall, and he moaned again in pain.

-Leave him alone, you fuzz ball!!!! —Lilo protested, her eyes getting wet with the tears, and leapt over Leroy, on an ultimate, desperate attempt to release Stitch from his pain, but Leroy just moved away and tossed her away to the ground. How useful could have been to have the changing potion on that moment!!!

Lilo tried to contain her crying when she felt the pain on her back and sides, but the pain of seeing Stitch, her love, suffering without even being able to struggle against Leroy was even greater. Finally, the torture finished for Stitch, who now was breathless due to the powerful hits Leroy vented on his helpless body, lifted him carelessly on his arms and carried him outside the piloting room. Lilo struggled against her pain and stood up from the floor to follow Stitch and Leroy… when she reached them, Leroy was taking Stitch off his arms to toss him to the sea.

-Stitch!!!! NO!!!! —she cried as she observed panicked how Leroy threw him out the spaceship to the water… she knew that Leroy hated Stitch, but she never had thought he hated him like that… now Stitch could drown on the salt waters, with the waves sinking him deeper on the sea.

-LILO!!!!!!! —he shouted as he fell to the sea, approaching each time more, and more, and more… finally, he crashed against the salt water, and a loud splash could be heard.

Leroy smirked. Stitch's suffering was just beginning. He saw some kind of speed boat approaching that place, and he entered back to the spaceship with a struggling Lilo on his arms he had caught before jumping to the sea:

-Let me go!!! Stitch's gonna die if I don't save him!!! HE'S GONNA DIE!!!!!!!! LET ME GO!!!!!!!!!!!! —she begged as she tried to escape from Leroy's grip.

Somehow, she got free once more from Leroy's arms and ran towards the edge where Stitch jumped to the sea. When she saw the foamy water where Stitch had sank, she tried to seek him with her sight… she got desperate when she didn't see him and jumped again, but she felt once more a hand stopping her from what she wanted to do. When she whirled her head, she felt a shot and saw the blue flash of plasma, and then everything went black.

Leroy looked at her with sheer hate on his eyes. He did hate her, but he wouldn't kill her until 626 were there to witness her death. He took her on his shoulders and once they were inside the ship he locked her on a near cell. He had learned that the freezing effect didn't last for too long, and he wouldn't mistake about that again. As the ship windscreen started fix itself, he thought that now what he had to do was bring the Earthling to Hamsterviel, and then he would take his revenge on 626… and this time nobody could stop him.

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Stitch was struggling inside the dark waters to get on the surface to get some oxygen, but his molecular density wasn't helping him too much. Under the water, he could see blurrily how the spaceship got away from the sea, and how it crossed the atmosphere. Now the salt water was entering slowly his lungs, and every time he struggled to get on the surface seemed only to make him get deeper on the sea. He activated his dark vision.

He knew he was going to die now, and he wanted to see the lasts thing around him with complete detail before he left the living world. He saw the coloring fishes, swimming unconcerned about that weird being getting drowned on the ocean waters; he saw some dolphins going down to the sea caverns; he lifted his face to see a last time the night sky. He saw the glistening stars, distorted because the motioning water and they reminded him of Lilo's eyes… his love and best friend for several years… not even they matched the beauty of that girl that was becoming a young woman now… he saw the silver moon shining intensely on the Hawaiian skies… he looked back to the stars and thought on the space, where Lilo was on that moment. Each one of his memories came to his mind… those memories of the moments he had shared with Lilo and his ohana… the first time he saw her… the first time he knew that someone cared about him… she was the first one who had loved him, even though he was a little loveless, horrible monster…

He closed his eyes and a quick image came to his mind: it was the photo where his whole ohana appeared saying "Aloha!" for the photo. He said goodbye quickly to each one of his cousins on his mind: he said goodbye to Jumba, to Pleackley, to Nani, to David… each time he said goodbye, he felt weaker than the last second… each time he said goodbye, the water entered more his lungs… finally, Lilo's image came to his mind: "I'm sorry, Lilo… I failed you… I should have saved you, but I didn't... please, forgive me because my stupidity… I love you… I always did." he thought at last, before his last breath of oxygen went out his lips and lungs.

Then everything went black.

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Lilo moaned as she started recovering her conscience. Her sides and head were aching, and she didn't know why. She rubbed her head as she opened her eyes, but everything was blurry and shapeless, and she couldn't see anything well. As the minutes passed, she recovered her vision and gulped when everything became clear: she wasn't on her dome, and there wasn't Stitch, or anything known for her.

Slowly, the memories of last night came to her mind… the first thing she remembered was that she was on Mai Puli Beach for her show, and with that memory came along the next one: she didn't know how, but she was almost sure Stitch and her had been…about to kiss?

"But, how?" she thought "How is it possible? No, it's just impossible… I think Stitch is just too… too intelligent to be about to kiss his best friend just like that… I think all of this was false, just a delusion… it's just too beautiful and good to believe that it really happened… I'm dreaming all the time about Stitch… yesterday I dreamed the same thing about him, just that that dream was different to all the pasts dreams I've had… it was so real…" she thought as her mind was running back to all those memories… she didn't think that Stitch was actually the one that had been about to kiss her those two times, that all that had been just a precious dream… but as quickly as those memories filled her mind, another image came to her mind: Leroy. Then the tears started to sting inside her eyes… she saw how Leroy threw Stitch to the rough sea, between the greatest waves… she knew at that hour the tide used to get higher, and… surely… Stitch had died drowned on the salt waters of ocean.

-No… that's not true —she spoke by first time as the first tears started running down her flushed cheeks —not Stitch, please… he cannot be dead… s-surely he found t-the way to f-float on the w-water… not my best friend… not him… my love… n-no, no— the knot on her throat was getting greater, and didn't let her finish her sentence. The weeping went out as she reviewed once and once more that image on her mind… she didn't want to admit it, but Stitch had been reached by the freezing shot, and because of that it was just impossible he could have survived. "Not Stitch!!! Why??? Why him??? I have already lost my parents!!! Isn't that enough pain??? Now I've lost my best friend… my Stitch… my love. WHY???" she thought as the streams of tears flowed more and more with that pain… it ached worse than an opened wound sprayed with lemon… she felt that sensation on her chest, that sensation so well known for her, sadly… it was the sensation of her heart getting broken, now because the death of her best friend and love…

-Gaba??? Stitch dead??????? —she heard a trembling voice from a dark corner. She whirled her head to see who the one that dared to bother her on that painful moment was. She turned her body quickly ready to yell out anything at that one, but when her eyes caught the sight, the breath and the live left her body, and she was only able to murmur something:

-Krista…

**Yeah, I know... maybe I needed more action on this one, but I really suck at action... well, I decided not to put too Lilo-and-Stitch-about-to-kiss scenes because I didn't want to make you bored, but please, if you REALLY think that I need to keep them up for next chapters please tell me on your reviews so I can write it better for the chapter where Stitch rescues Lilo from Leroy and Hamsterviel... well, I've sent this chapter to Deviant Art and I was told on many comments that Leroy should receive his pay... for all those who wants Leroy to be dead because all what he has done to Lilo and Stitch till now, trust me, the worst is still coming, so keep all your... err, words for Leroy when he does the worst... well, that's all by now. I'm already working on chapter 11, so I'll maybe update on Saturday or Sunday... most likely is I'll do is on Sunday, but keep waiting. Aloha!!!!**


	12. Chapter 11

Wellhere's chapter 11, just like I promised!!!!! I wanted to update earlier, but I submitted it to DA first, and my computer had some problems with the mouse some minutes ago, so I had to be patient (and that's really hard for me, trust me) Well, anyway it's already here, so hope you like it!!!!

_**WHAT'S THE BEST CHOICE?**_

_Chapter 11_

"_Nobody gets left behind"_

Lilo couldn't get out from her shock. Her blood had become cold as ice, and her mind was a tangle of thoughts and emotions. "How can she be still alive? Wasn't she supposed to be dead?" this and other thoughts were spinning inside her head, making her dizzy.

As Lilo tried uselessly to order her thoughts, Krista waited troubled for an answer, for any reply. She seemed to have problems with her thoughts as well as Lilo, and the words just got stuck on her tongue when she tried to pronounce some word. What did Lilo mean when she said that Stitch was dead?

-Lilo… please tell… Stitch dead? Da boojibu is dead? —she uttered, after some struggle with her mind.

"No… she's not alive. But how is possible…? I can't understand…" Lilo opened her mouth to say something, but the words were stopping at her throat. Finally she managed to speak some words:

-K-Krista… but we thought you were dead… what happened? W-why did you disappear all those years?

Krista lowered her head. She didn't like to remember that sad day… the day she had been taken away from her home, her family…from Stitch over all.

-Don't want to…talk about it, Lilo… isa too sad to remember. Meega missed family. Meega misses da boojibu —she lifted her head slightly to stare at her eyes. Lilo couldn't help to notice her eyes turning into a shiny black color because the tears gathering at the edge of the black orbs, and felt her heart sinking on her chest. She realized that Krista still loved Stitch, but what about him? Did Stitch love Krista during all those years? Or could be it possible that he learned how to love again?

-Stitch…

Lilo's eyes glistened suddenly with the tears. The image of Leroy throwing the motionless body to the dark waters came to her mind as a lightning…the true for her was that Stitch had left the living world, and nothing could be done.

-Krista, Stitch's dead!!! My best friend of all my live… he's not here anymore. He's gone!!! —Lilo broke down and fell to her knees, letting the tears make streams on her face, soaking her now pale cheeks—first, my parents died… now Stitch is gone too. Why??? WHY???

Krista rushed to her side to catch her. The force had left Lilo's body, making her to drop on the ground, but Krista reached her first than the cold floor. She stared at the little girl and felt nothing but her heart breaking as her brain processed what she had just said.

-Naga, Lilo. Stitch naga dead. Stitch… too strong to die. Isaka naga true —she said as she lifted the girl from the floor.

-No Krista… I would really love to believe that Stitch is alive, and that he will come here… but you can't understand… you didn't see how he pushed Stitch to the sea, and he wasn't able even to fight against him to defend himself… he's dead, Krista, and I can't do anything… I couldn't. It's my entire fault!!! If only I jumped to the sea to save him… but I didn't, and it's my entire fault he's dead now— her words stopped on her throat, and she couldn't say any word else as her weeping grow louder. Krista didn't know what to say, so she just pulled Lilo close and held her on her arms, hugging her just like Nani would've hugged her. On normal circumstances, Lilo would have pulled Krista away and stare at her startled, but she felt so much pain that she needed to be comforted by somebody… and she was the only one besides herself on that cold cell.

After some minutes, when Lilo's weeping had calmed down, Krista pulled her away softly to face her, and she felt some tears getting to her eyes before she could even talk. Her voice sounded broken, revealing she wanted to cry.

-Why Stitch dead? Who pushed Stitch?

Lilo stared at her eyes and lowered her face slowly.

-Do you really want to talk about it? —she said softly, some weeping going out on her voice. Krista nodded slowly. Lilo made her sit on the floor beside her. She sighed and then started her story. It would take some time before she ended with it.

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Stitch opened slowly his eyes when he felt the sun on his face. He blinked twice before opening completely his eyes… he knew something important happened before everything went black for him, but he couldn't remember anything… he didn't know why he was on Jumba's spaceship bed instead of his cot on the dome. He lifted his head and moaned. His head was aching like if someone hit him with a hammer… he had a really horrible nightmare… he dreamed that Leroy came back and took Lilo along… he dreamed that he fell on the sea and that he was drowning… and…

-626, you're finally awoken!!! —Jumba shouted happily as he entered the room, taking Stitch away from his thoughts.

-Gaba??? —Stitch asked confused—gaba wrong with Stitch?

Jumba stared at him concerned —So 626 is not remembering anything?

Stitch shook his head, letting Jumba know that he couldn't remember anything. Jumba sat next to him on the bed, while Stitch just stared at his creator, eager to know what happened to him and wanting to get back his memory.

-626, we do know everything. Hamsterviel contacted us yesterday at night and told us that he has Little Girl on his hands, and that if we want to see her again, you have to bring up there…

-GABA??????? —Stitch shouted… so it wasn't a dream… it was real!!!

-Please, 626, be calming down… I haven't told you what happened to you… you'll see… yesterday, you tried to save Little Girl from Experiment 629, aka Leroy, but it seems like he set a trap for you… you fell to the sea and you were drowning, and you would be dead if it weren't because of Pleackley… he was the one who saw you first on the ship with Jumba's binoculars and all of we saw when you fell to the sea. We used the convertible buggy to save you, and Bigger Girl's boyfriend was the one who saved you of drowning.

Stitch dropped motionless on the bed. The memories of last night came back to his mind… he began to remember slowly everything… first he remembered was Lilo sitting in front of him, and how they were about to kiss… he remembered his anguish when he saw Lilo falling on the ground… the freezing shot… how he fell to the sea…

-No… isaka naga true… Lilo is… sleeping on dome —he hid his face between his hands. He just couldn't believe that Lilo was gone… it must be a horrible nightmare.

-Sadly, it's being true, 626. Little Girl was kidnapped. —Jumba dropped his face, which had now a saddened expression. Stitch just dropped his ears:

-No… not true… Lilo is in dome —he whispered. He jumped to his feet quickly from the bed and rushed to the dome. Jumba didn't try to stop him. For Stitch's actions, he had guessed what he felt about Lilo, and he started suspicion about Stitch-too-caring-about-Lilo attitude. That's why he let him go away: he knew Stitch needed to be alone some moments.

Stitch ran through the dusty path to the Pelekai house. As he fastened his speed, he felt the tears stinging on his eyes. He tried to keep them there, inside his eyes, until he reached the lift… he wasn't sure if he wanted to know the true… some part inside of him wanted to believe that all that was just a nightmare, and that he had just to wake up to get rid of all those bad moments… but there was another part inside of him that wanted him to realize that all what was happening was completely true. He swallowed hardly as he pulled the button that would bring him up to their room. He closed his eyes as he waited for the lift to bring him up… finally, it stopped… he opened his eyes, expecting to see Lilo asleep on her bed…

He fell to his knees when he saw the empty bed… Lilo wasn't there as he had wanted to believe… the nightmare started for him on that moment.

Now he couldn't stand the pain anymore… the knot on his throat came out as big tears and a soft weeping, that after some seconds became a disconsolate howl of anguish, of pain… his heart was aching now, and he felt his head spinning faster and faster… it was just too much for him to know that Lilo was gone with the one that hated him the most on the whole Universe… he covered his own face with his paws, making them to get soaked with the tears streams that ran down his face. Once more, there was the almighty Experiment 626 breaking down on weeping, a weeping even more intense than the one he released when he knew Krista disappeared… even more intense than the one he released when Angel was captured. Finally, his lungs couldn't resist any more weeping, and he dropped on the floor of the dome helplessly… he just felt too weak and he wanted to die right there and his lungs stung with the pain to his sides, leaving him curled up, crying miserably and screaming some words every next minute.

The window of the dome opened suddenly with a soft breeze. On the desk, there was the book that Lilo used to gather all the experiments photos, and at last was the whole family photo, and next to it was the most precious photo for Lilo… it was the one that showed her with her now dead parents.

The soft wind opened the book, and took away that photo, which wasn't stuck yet with glue, and brought it to Stitch's hands. He opened his eyes and saw the photo, and brought it near to his head to get a better look. He studied hardly the face of each one of the persons on the photo, and when he saw Lilo, smiling untroubled to her dad, a thought hit his mind: he just couldn't let Leroy and Hamsterviel do whatever they wanted to do like that… he couldn't die yet… not until he saw Lilo safe and sound. He stood up slowly: the weakness was disappearing quickly from his body and being replaced by a new force he found on the love he felt for Lilo… determinedly, he walked to the lift and went downstairs… he was going to rescue Lilo at any price, and he needed all the possible help from his whole family more than ever.

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Lilo dropped her face as she uttered the last word of her story. The blush on her face had disappeared, being replaced by bitter tears of anguish and sadness as she related how Leroy tossed Stitch to the motioning sea, and how she was taken away from her family. Of course, she didn't tell Krista how she felt about Stitch or how they were about to kiss.

Krista's eyes filled with tears too as she heard the story, and when Lilo told her how Leroy ended with all her hopes to see Stitch alive again, she broke down on a soft crying. Now she could see why Lilo was so sad, and why she wept so much. After some minutes of crying and sobbing, Lilo calmed down and got to her feet slowly.

-I have nothing left to live for now that Stitch is dead. I know why Leroy and Hamsterviel brought me here, and I'm eager for them to do what they want to do —she said, and when she lifted her eyes, Krista could see on them a gloomy expression.

-G-gaba?

-They want to kill me —Lilo said, her voice sounding without any emotion, and lowered her head, staring at the floor—I'm not afraid of death, because that's the only way I'll see my parents and Stitch again. The only thing I'm afraid of is a slow and painful death, but if that's the only way I can see my friend again, then I'll pass through it.

Krista's eyes widened with fear and horror. How could that girl, so joyful and carefree before, be talking like that?

-Naga, Lilo!!! Lilo still has Ohana!!! Lilo can't die!!! —said Krista horrified as she grabbed Lilo by her arm, but Lilo didn't do anything, she didn't even tried to get off from Krista's grip.

-Krista, I don't really think I'll see my family again. Right now, Leroy and Hamsterviel must be planning the way they will kill me… and there's no way my family can even know where I am. I have lost all my hopes.

Krista untied her arms from Lilo's, totally frozen because those rough words, while Lilo just approached to the darkest corner she could find inside the cell and dropped herself there. Krista stared at her thoughtfully, and then she got an idea. She moved her feet toward Lilo, who was staring at the floor motionless. She was so quiet that you would have thought that she had fallen asleep, but Krista knew Lilo wasn't asleep. Finally, when she reached the girl, she dropped next to her and stared at her eyes: they weren't shiny and beautiful as they used to be, with that sparkle of happiness Stitch loved to stare at; instead, they were just two lifeless orbs staring blankly at anywhere, without any little sparkle on them.

-Lilo has told Krista… all what happened, even though Lilo didn't want to talk… now meega will tell Lilo what happened with meega three years ago—Krista started to say, and tried to seek for any change on Lilo's face, but she didn't seem to be paying any attention, she was just staring blankly. Krista sighed, and the words began to flow out her mouth amazingly: not even her broken English stopped her this time, and she talked almost perfectly, unlike to the most of times:

-That morning, Stitch took meega out for a walk. Stitch had just told meega that he loved me, and that he wanted to be my boojibu, and feeling loved by first time on my live, meega accepted. Whatever, we hadn't taken breakfast that morning because we were eager to leave… we wanted to see the sunrise at the beach. However, we began to feel hungry, and then Stitch offered to go for ice cream as breakfast, and meega waited for him at the seashore. While Stitch was buying our ice creams, meega approached the sea and got into water. Meega was playing on the water, and meega was having so much fun that meega didn't realize that the water was reaching over my waistline. Suddenly, meega felt something grabbing my feet…

This time, Lilo lifted her head to stare at Krista. She could see some tears were gathering at the edge of her eyes, and she just closed to Krista to hug her. Krista smiled when she felt Lilo's warm arms wrapping around her, and hugged her back. Lilo liked to feel Krista's arms around her: they felt just like Stitch's, except Stitch's arms were thicker, but they were just like Stitch's on everything else: they were warm, soft, loving… among other things.

-What happened then? —Lilo asked as she sank her nose on a furry, blue-berry shoulder. The smile on Krista's face disappeared suddenly at that thought, but smiled again when she felt Lilo caressing her ears. Krista purred lightly as she felt her hands scratching her ears softly and repeatedly. Lilo waited patiently until Krista felt better to talk, and after some seconds, she spoke:

-Well, meega remember that meega sank on the water, and all what meega could see was… some metallic thing pulling meega inside the water… I think isa was a robot, but meega couldn't see it well… meega just remember that I tried to get the surface, and meega can remember that meega heard Stitch's voice… he was calling meega. I felt really scared, but that thing was pulling me deeper on water, and the last thing meega saw was my necklace floating away on the water ahead me. When I woke up, I was here, and some hours later, I knew I was on Hamsterviel's spaceship. Meega passed here those years, without going out… the only thing I could do was hearing how Hamsterviel talked with Gantu through the communicator, and I knew everything that happened… I know even about the Leroy's thing. The signal of Gantu's communicator could be heard here. Hamsterviel just left some robots taking care about me, but I didn't want them, although they treated me well… all what meega wanted was go back home, and meega waited… until Lilo came here. But Lilo says Stitch's dead… meega sad too… very sad, but I cannot kill myself to get with Stitch. Meega will love Stitch always, but meega sure meega will found somebody else…

When Krista said that, Lilo's eyes filled with tears. She remembered that day when Victoria said about the same thing that Krista had just said, about finding someone else… and she felt the same thing she felt that day, that same pain inundating her heart.

-But I won't… I won't be able to find somebody else to love…

Krista lifted her head, totally confused, and stared at her human friend.

-Gaba?

-Krista, I can't lie you after all what you have told me… now I'll tell you the truth. Some years ago, I never thought it would be possible, but some weeks ago I realized that I couldn't escape from my own feelings—she glued her chocolate orbs to Krista's blacks and sighed heavily—I fell in love with Stitch… too.

-Oh… that's the cause.

Krista's eyes grew wide in realization, and after staring at Lilo amazed, she stared at the floor. Now she could understand completely why Lilo had cried on that way all the time she had passed there. She could understand her; after all she had felt the same way her first days on that cold cell, but after she knew that Stitch was dead, she felt really bad because she had always thought that Stitch would be there to rescue her. She had dreamed on that day so many times… but now that he had gone she should try to look for someone else…after all Stitch was dead, right?

As she thought on all those memories, she felt Lilo's head leaning on her shoulder. She whirled her head just to find out that Lilo had fallen asleep. She smiled and stood up to grab some pillows and a blanket from her own cot, and put all them near of Lilo, making her a little bed composed by huge pillows and a gray blanket. She tanked she could convince the robots that she would die if they didn't do what she wanted. Hamsterviel had just ordered them not to let her go, but he never ordered them to torture her or anything else. She was too worthy to Hamsterviel just to kill her… she didn't know why, but that was something she had questioned herself just twice.

She didn't know it, but he had used her own paralyzing powers to make those powerful guns that Leroy used against Lilo and Stitch to leave them motionless… he had found the way to take advantage of her powers to make his own guns… and she was still useful for him.

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The group of girls went out from the little green building known just as hula school talking to no end about the events of last night. There was something they couldn't really understand, and that was Lilo's disappearance from the Spring Festival: they had been talking about it last night, that morning and going out from the hula school, but even though all her conclusions, no one of them seemed to be logical for someone of them.

-Maybe she just got tired and decided to leave.

-Yuki, you have already said that, but Lilo just couldn't have left just because she was tired… there must be something important…

-Yeah, maybe she has a new boyfriend and she escaped with him.

-Elena, if Lilo had a boyfriend, then Victoria would know it. Lilo tells her everything, right Victoria?

-W-well, yes, I think I would know it, but…

-Maybe some spaceship came to Earth and took her away!!!

Everybody whirled their heads to see who had said that, and all the glances directed to Teresa:

-Hey, it was just an idea that crossed my head!

As they stared at Teresa confusingly, a claxon was heard near of there.

-Okay, girls, I have to go. Aloha!!! —Victoria advised as she ran to her mom's red van. The girls just waved her hands to their friend and continued talking. Victoria was as confused as the other girls, or maybe even more confused than them… she really hadn't any idea about why Lilo left like that.

After some minutes, the red van reached a little, but beautiful house with a small garden. Victoria wanted to be alone some hours to think well; she thought on lock herself on her room, but her feet moved in other direction.

-Vickie, where are you going? —she heard her mom talking to her.

-I don't know, mom… I promise I'll be backing soon, don't worry.

-Assure you get here before dinner, okay?

Victoria nodded. She left again her feet to lead her where they wanted to go. Finally, after some minutes of slow walking, she reached a soft ground composed by white sand and some lost seashells. She looked around as if she didn't know where she was, though she knew perfectly that place… there was the palm tree where Lilo and she had gone when she got mad at her… it was where they were talking about Stitch some days ago…

-Victoria!!!

Her memories erased quickly from her mind as she heard somebody calling her. She whirled her head and saw a blue shape rushing to her side.

-Aloha Stitch!!!—she greeted—where's Lilo? She left us totally alone last night, and we would want to know if…

-Leroy kidnapped Lilo, and Hamsterviel wants meega to go to spaceship because if Stitch doesn't they kill Lilo!—Stitch blurted without even waiting a little second to greet Victoria too. Victoria's eyes grew with horror, and tried to process what Stitch had just said.

-W-what??? Lilo was kidnapped??? But why…?

-No time for explain! We need to get to home now!!! —Stitch said as he grabbed Victoria's arm, pulling her toward the Pelekai house.

-W-wait!!! I can't run as fast as you!!!

Victoria's quell was replied on an unexpected way. Before she could know what was going on, she was being lifted on the air, being held just by Stitch's arms. She shrieked at first, but Stitch didn't lower the speed, so she had no option but get used to that feeling of floating on the air.

After some minutes of an uncomfortable ride, they reached the Pelekai house. Normally, the Pelekai house was filled with joy and… well, more joy, but without Lilo it seemed sad, gloomy… and lifeless. Stitch rushed to the kitchen and entered there, leaving Victoria finally to touch the ground with her feet. There were Nani, Jumba and Pleackley, everybody sitting on their respective seats, and they seemed to be waiting for her.

-Ah!!! 626 has brought the other little girl here!!! Hello!!! —Jumba greeted joyfully.

-Hum, aloha, mister Jumba… can I know why I'm here?

-Well, am thinking that you already know that Lilo was kidnapped, right?

Victoria nodded, while Stitch smiled.

-We need help to get Lilo back. Wanna help?

Victoria thought for some seconds doubtfully. She knew it was dangerous, but Lilo was her friend… now, if she told her mom that she needed to go to another galaxy to save her friend, she wouldn't believe her, and if she miraculously did, she wouldn't let her go… Stitch was staring at her with a begging look on his face… everyone was waiting.

-Why do you want me to go?

-Because you're ohana… and family never gets left behind or forgotten.

Victoria felt just like if she had been hit and awoken by a pillow… so Lilo considered her as a part of her ohana? She had to help her!!!

-Okay, I'll go… I won't leave Lilo behind.

-Or forgotten?

Victoria smiled at the whole family:

-Not even forgotten.

**Yeah, I know... it wasn't as good as past chapters because there wasn't any action moments, just too much crying and other stuff I'm not really good writing about... well, at least you ** **know already what happened to Krista all those years and why she hadn't appeared, now let's see... next chapter Stitch saves Lilo!!!! Get prepared... next chapter will be here next week. I think maybe on Thursday, Saturday or Sunday... well, get prepared for REAL action.**


	13. Chapter 12

Here it is!!! Chapter 12 is finally up!!! Well, this one was better written than the last one_** (indeed!!!) **_I have the feeling you would kill me if you could... well, it's because I was planning Lilo to be rescued on this chapter so chapter 13 could be the last chapter, but my head just got so many ideas... eventually, I realized that I had to leave the rescue for the next chapter, because if I wrote the rescue on this same chapter it would remain too large and well... I think I wanted to leave you in suspense too laughs evilly. Hope you like it!!!_  
_

_**WHAT'S THE BEST CHOICE?**_

_Chapter 12_

_Does first love lasts forever?_

-Okay, but we have a problem—Victoria said, and the family had to calm down to listen to her—I… think you want to take Lilo back today, right?

Everybody nodded.

-…but I told my mom that I would be there before dinner. What do I tell her? That I'll stay at your house to pass night here?

-Well, we can tell her… we can ask her for you to stay here because you have to do some team homework… if she doesn't believes that, I'll try to convince her—Nani said, smiling slightly, even if she didn't want to smile. She knew that Lilo had gotten into many problems before, but now… she wasn't sure if she was gonna be okay this time. Somehow she felt that something was going to get wrong…

-What are we waiting for, then? —Pleackley said as he pointed to the phone. Stitch rushed to the living room and took the little devise and returned to the kitchen quickly.

-Okay, let's see what happens…—Victoria took the phone on her hands and pressed some buttons. The waiting tone started to sound, regular and rhythmically…

Victoria walked away to the living room as everybody waited for her on the kitchen. Finally, after some seconds, she entered the kitchen. Everybody stared at her expectantly…

-What are we waiting for? Let's get Lilo!!!

-So you…?

-Yep!!! My mom told me to come back home at two o' clock tomorrow. Now, I think there's a friend of mine that needs to be rescued, right? —she said as opened the door to get outside, and then rushed to the spaceship.

Everybody followed her to the spaceship and entered. After some minutes, the spaceship was floating on the air, ready to get on spaceship, and then flew to the blue skies, higher and higher, until it was just a little red shape on the sky. Then it disappeared completely from sight.

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-Then you're not angry? —Lilo begged as she stared at Krista. She really wanted to know how she felt about it.

-Huh?

-I asked you if you're not angry because I fell… well, because I fell in love with Stitch too…

Krista thought during some seconds on some good reply… after some uncomfortable seconds of absolute silence, she faced Lilo.

-Naga… meega naga angry. If Lilo said that some years ago, maybe meega would have punched you…—she smirked at Lilo, while she just giggled— but now isa useless. Meega sad… ih… very sad about Stitch, but meega can't make Stitch alive again just because meega angry at Lilo. Meega will miss him very much…

-I miss him too —Lilo whispered sadly—I still feel I wanna die without him, but I have to be strong for my family, especially for Nani. I want to meet my future nephews… you know? Nani is FINALLY marrying David—she said as her eyes got lost somewhere. She seemed to be imagining those days when Nani and David finally had their own children. Some tears tried to go out her eyes, but she forced them to stay inside.

-So, can Lilo tell Krista another story from when Lilo and Stitch used to catch experiments? —The female experiment said of sudden, trying to change the subject of the conversation. Lilo's mind returned quickly to her head and smiled at her:

-What do you want to know?

Krista grinned amusingly:

-Meega wants to know if Stitch found someone else… beside me.

-Okay… WHAT????

-Meega wants to know if there was someone else with Stitch… another boojibu.

Lilo stared at her doubtfully, but Krista didn't seem to be kidding, so she started to speak:

-Hum, let me see… ah, I remember…yes, he fell in love with someone else. That day, Stitch and I had been gathering some slugs for a circus…

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"_When Stitch opened his eyes, he didn't know where he was. There was a cold room with steel walls and some keyboards with buttons upon them, and some computers stuck to the wall. Slowly, he realized he was on some kind of spaceship. It seemed very familiar to him, but his mind couldn't remember where he had seen this before…_

_He gasped when his mind finally recognized the room…it was Hamsterviel's spaceship. _

_His feet started to move unconsciously to somewhere. After some minutes, he realized he was on the same room Gantu had locked them some years ago, when they freed all the pods of the experiments. There was the same cell he had been locked in, as well as several other cells… his feet started to move again towards an empty cell… or at least he thought it was empty, because as he shortened the distance to the cell, he noticed some motion inside the cell, and activated his dark-vision. Everything turned a light green color, and he noticed inside the cell a vague shape… it was too far away from him to see well what or who was that. Inside of him, his heart was thumping rapidly, but he didn't know why… maybe it was Lilo… maybe that was why his heart started to beat like that…_

_-Lilo? _

_The shape didn't move. A shiver traveled through Stitch's back, but he didn't pay attention to that and pressed the button that would open the cell. The glass started to lift, and when there was a space enough big, Stitch entered the cell to see his Lilo and take her home._

_-Lilo! Meega here! Let's go home… with Ohana —he said as he closed the shadow…it didn't move though. The shiver came back to Stitch's spine, and more powerful than the first time… there was something that wasn't too well at all. He approached the shape and touched lightly what he thought was a shoulder… but it didn't feel as Lilo's shoulder… it felt like something furry and thick, too unlike to Lilo._

_He gasped when he felt a rough hand taking all of sudden his own hand and tossing him away… he crashed against the wall and then the floor of the cell. That one surely wasn't Lilo … Lilo wasn't that strong or rough. Before he could even lift his head, he felt a powerful kick stabbing him on his guts, which sent him flying out the cell._

_-Ouch… —he moaned as he felt the air lack on his lungs. His stomach was aching roughly and felt motionless because of the pain. As he tried to calm his pain, he saw that shadow going out the cell._

_-Stitch!!! —another voice filled the room.—leave da boojibu alone!!!_

_Stitch tried to whirl his head to see the voice owner. "No…it's impossible. She's dead… or have I died too?" Stitch thought, thinking he had recognized that voice… he had been waiting eagerly for that moment so many years ago, for her return…but he had managed to think she was dead, after he convinced himself she was never coming back._

_He felt a soft hand landing on his pained stomach, and it stopped aching as she put her hand there. Finally, he could whirl his head to see who was there, and he confirmed what he had thought… there was his former angel…_

_-K-Krista??? —he uttered, almost stupidly._

_-Did Stitch… get hurt? —she asked. Her voice sounded as sweet as he had remembered all those years… it had a stitch of worry, but still sounded so beautiful…old feelings started to return his heart slowly as he convinced himself more and more... she wasn't dead. As his old feelings were inundating him and as he filled his mind with thoughts, he felt something soft and warm landing on his lips. He focused his eyes and saw Krista's face upon his, with her eyes closed. He understood what was going on, and slowly lifted his hand to reach her head and pull her closer. For some seconds, he thought he was watching himself from another part of the room, like if he were watching another person instead of himself. Suddenly, he returned to his own body and took control of himself. As he recovered his own control he tried to pull her away, but before he could even touch her to pull away, another voice filled the room:_

_-Stitch???_

_Stitch pulled Krista away quickly, almost roughly when he recognized the voice. He turned his head towards the place he had heard the voice from, and there was Lilo, standing motionless as she stared at Krista and Stitch after kissing. Her voice had sounded broken, just like when she wanted to cry, and in fact her eyes were already glistening with a watery sparkle, at the border of tears._

_-W-what are you d-doing??? —she whispered disappointed as a little tear ran through her cheek. _

_Stitch felt suddenly like if something were eating him from inside. He knew very well that feeling, because he felt it whenever he did something wrong: it was guilt… pure and sheer guilt. Why he was feeling that? He felt just like if he were tricking on Lilo, on the love he had developed toward her…_

_-Lilo! Meega… Stitch didn't want… please —he begged, but Lilo had already started to run to somewhere away, crying inconsolably._

_-Lilo! Please, wait! Lilo!!! —he jumped to his feet as fast as he could and rushed to catch Lilo up. He forgot Krista, he forgot he was on a spaceship… he even forgot that the world existed. There was nothing but Lilo…_

_Lilo was running ahead too, trying to get away from Stitch, but her vision was so blurry that she stumbled and fell to the ground, weeping miserably. Stitch saw this and fastened his speed to reach her. Lilo finally stood up and tried to run again, but Stitch had caught her up and before she could give two steps he had took a grip of her on her arm. Lilo struggled and tried to untie his hand from her wrist, but Stitch was stronger and grabbed her, enough strong not to hurt her:_

_-Lilo, please… Stitch wants to say…_

_-You don't have to say anything, Stitch!!! I know it… you still love her. Come on, what are you waiting for??? Go and take her on your arms, and tell her that you love her, and marry her!!! I won't try to stop you, so what are you waiting for??? Just let me go…—Lilo uttered bitterly as she tried to escape from the hand of her friend._

_-Naga, Lilo… that's not what meega wants to say…_

_-Just let me go, Stitch… stop hurting me!!! —she yelled, and Stitch dropped her hand as she said that, thinking he had hurt her wrist._

_-No… you haven't hurt me physically, Stitch…—Lilo whispered— you have hurt me… right here—she said as she lifted her hand to her chest and pointed to her left side. Stitch gulped as he saw the place Lilo had pointed at and lowered his ears. She just wanted to escape not to see him, and took advantage of her free wrist and ran towards a dark corridor._

_-Lilo!!! WAIT!!!!!!! —Stitch ran behind her, trying again to get her, forgetting again everything… unfortunately he even forgot that Leroy was on the same spaceship._

_-__**AAAAAHHHHH!!!!!**__ —Stitch heard Lilo screaming and fastened his feet to get there. When he got there, he saw something that left him paralyzed: Leroy had Lani on his arms, aiming at her with a gun, but Lani's voice had sounded just like Lilo's._

_-Lani??? What you doing here??? —Stitch blurted incredulous. Leroy had a firm grip on her shoulders, but Lani struggled and struggled… finally she got rid from his grip and ran away. Leroy aimed the gun to the red experiment running away and prepared to fire. Stitch gasped and ran towards Lani to protect her, but as he tried to catch her up, he saw that Krista was lying injured on the floor, with a wound on her side that seemed to be caused by a shot… she wasn't badly hurt, but she seemed to be in pain._

_-Krista!!! You okay???_

_Krista nodded slowly and got to her feet._

_Stitch stopped just for a half of second, but that little second cost him a lot: a shining green plasma shot reached Lani on her back and she fell to the floor motionless. Stitch let out a cry and rushed to her side… as he reached her, he noticed that the blood was flowing out from a wound on her back… but the blood wasn't a magenta color as the blood of any experiment… it was red blood, just like human's. Something compelled him to take her on his arms, but as he touched her, she started to change: her fur started to disappear from her body, her antennas cut up to slim, black hairs…Stitch dropped his jaw in awe as he discovered who was the one that remained on his arms. There, on his arms, Lilo was lying motionless, dying, and breathing hardly. She coughed out big blobs of crimson blood, and started to choke with her own blood. She widened her eyes startled at the sight of her own blood, but she was too weak to move her hand to clean the blood from her mouth. Stitch felt his eyes stinging as the tears wanted to go out, and this time he didn't stop them; instead he let them flow as streams._

_-Lilo? You… were Lani all this time? But why??? Meega… can't understand…_

_-I know… maybe I should have told you that I was Lani… I had never enough time to befriend you as Lani… you'll think I'm just so stupid, but I did this because this was the only way you could love me… you couldn't love me as a human… I had to be just like you if I wanted you to love me… I wanted to heal your pain since you still cried over Krista's death, but now that you have found her you won't need me anymore… be happy with her. I w-would have w-wanted to b-be the girl beside you, but you always loved her. I k-know she's t-the one that w-will make you happy. I… love… you. —she said softly as she closed her eyes. A last sigh went out from her lips, and after that, she fell into an eternal slumber._

_-Lilo??? __**NO!!! PLEASE DON'T LEAVE!!!**__ No, Lilo… please… —Stitch's crying became a loud weep, a howl of anguish that showed how his heart was shattered…yes, he knew that he still loved Krista, but he felt that love was strongest with Lilo… besides, he had seen her dying on his arms, and there she had died. Before he knew what was going on, he realized that he had his lips upon Lilo's lifeless lips, but as he kissed her, his crying grew more intense. The tears that were on his cheeks fell to Lilo's face, soaking her pale cheeks. Her lips were still warm, but were starting to get cold. He wept more intensely and started to talk to her, with his lips still glued to hers:_

_-Please… I love you too…don't leave…"_

-Please… don't leave, Lilo… Lilo!!!…**AAAAHHHH!!!!!**

Stitch fell to the ground from the compartment above the passenger seats, and moaned with the pain of the fall. Everybody stared at him, some of them amused, some of them worried. His vision wasn't very clear, and when he focused it he saw Victoria in front of him, tending a hand towards him to help him:

-Are you okay, Stitch? —she asked. Stitch took her hand and got to his feet on a single jump.

-Ih… meega okey-dokey, ih —he nodded and grinned, though he still felt a sore back.

-I told you not to sleep in the case compartment, Stitch. I hope you've learned the lesson and sleep on some seat now —Pleackley scolded as he read his old fashion magazines. Stitch growled. He had fallen asleep there because he was watching an old photo album with some photos of his Ohana. He returned to the case compartment to watch again the photos. When he reached the book, he saw and old photo, which showed him playing a videogame with Lilo and Krista… he thought back to his dream. It had been a real odd dream… maybe that photo caused him to dream all that…

-In case all of you want to know, we're going to reach Hamsterviel's spaceship in about half an hour, so prepare yourselves —announced Jumba to the few passengers on their respective seats. Stitch yawned and got down to the floor. He wondered if his dream had some connection with Lilo's rescue or if it was just a dream. He shrugged to himself and forgot his dream quickly. Now the most important was getting Lilo back with her Ohana.

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-…and then they just walked away holding hands. I know, maybe it sounds like he should have loved Angel always, but some months ago they broke up because she fell in love with someone else. I guess the only one who Stitch has loved always is you —Lilo concluded as she sighed. Krista's eyes were filled with tears. Some of the things Lilo told her about Angel reminded her of when Stitch and she were falling in love. They had been talking by over an hour, and she had still several questions about Stitch.

-Then… Stitch and Angel naga boojibus?

But before Lilo could answer the sluice opened, revealing Hamsterviel and Leroy on the other room. Leroy rushed to the cell and opened it:

-Hurry up, Leroy!!! We haven't too long to make our evil plans!!! —demanded Hamsterviel. Leroy growled and tried to look for Lilo. When he found her, he smirked and grabbed her carelessly.

-Hey, what are you doing??? Let me go!!! Ouch!!! —Lilo compelled as she felt Leroy grabbing her roughly by her arm.

-So you want to know my evil plans, huh, little and bothering girl??? —Hamsterviel smirked and stared at her with scorn.

-Why would you do that??? —Lilo frowned with anger at Hamsterviel as Leroy took her out from the cell.

-Because every evil genius tell their plans to their victims before ending with them!!!!!!!! —Hamsterviel laughed loudly and then stared again down at her —well, that fool of 626 is coming right now, and we want to give him a little surprise, right Leroy?

Leroy smirked and laughed evilly, while Lilo just stared at Hamsterviel, despising him because of that lie… she thought he wanted her to suffer and that was the cause he told her that Stitch was coming. She knew he was dead… she wouldn't believe him at least she saw Stitch safe and sound.

-No… you know that's not true. Stitch is dead… I saw when Leroy tossed him to the sea!!!!!! —Lilo yelled, pointing at Leroy and wanting to hit him with all her force.

-You, silly Earth girl!!!!! If that were true, then we would have got rid of you a long time ago… but no, you're still useful… you're the perfect bait to get 626 here and end with him at all!!!!! Take her, Leroy!!! Let's do that little "party" for 626 —Hamsterviel demanded as he pointed to Lilo. Lilo was startled: what Hamsterviel had just said could be true… but maybe he was just trying to fool her. Leroy took her on his shoulder and placed her on a glass pod to stop her from any escape attempt. Lilo screamed and tried to escape from Leroy, but he was a lot stronger than her, so he took her down easily. The glass closed above Lilo quickly as she tried uselessly to break it.

While Lilo was struggling with Leroy, Krista was thinking on some plan to save Lilo from Leroy and Hamsterviel. She got an idea and lifted her right hand, aiming at Leroy…

Leroy started to walk, approaching the sluice with Hamsterviel, but a blue flash reached him and he remained motionless, as frozen. Hamsterviel whirled his head, just to see that Leroy had been frozen by something. He knew immediately who had done that:

-**620!!!!!!! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?????????? STOP IMMEDIATELY!!!!!!**

While Hamsterviel was yelling out some insults, Krista rushed to Lilo's pod and opened the glass, freeing Lilo from the pod. Lilo smiled and jumped out the pod:

-What do we do now? —she asked worried.

-Run!!! —Krista replied as she grabbed Lilo's hand and leaded her to the sluice. But no one of them realized that Hamsterviel changed his irked face to a satisfied one:

-Got you…

The two girls crossed to the adjacent room, closed the sluice and turned to exit… both of them gasped at the sight of Leroy standing ahead of them, smirking and mocking at them with his gaze.

-What…??? —Lilo said incredulous. How could Leroy be right ahead of them if Krista had just paralyzed him some seconds ago? She turned her head to see at Krista, but she seemed to be as confused as her.

-I think you're wondering why Leroy is right here —Hamsterviel said mockingly as he entered the room —well, I'm not a stupid one as you thought. I knew that 620 was going to do something, and I just prepared myself in case something went wrong. The Leroy you paralyzed, 620, is just a clone. Here, right ahead of you, is the true Leroy. Now I have both of you to increase 626's anguish. If I'm right, I think you were his former girlfriend, right 620?

Krista growled when Hamsterviel pointed at her, but he didn't pay attention to Krista's growls.

-And you… —he pointed now at Lilo —his little Earth friend, oh, that's so sweet! I think 626 would get really sad if something happens to both of you, right? Well, his time has just passed… the time he had to rescue both of you is gone —he whirled his head to see at Leroy —Leroy, get rid of them.

Krista and Lilo stared at each other worried, and waited Leroy to do what he had been demanded to do. Leroy didn't move.

-Leroy!!! What is this!!! Why don't you get rid of them???? Destroy them!!!!!

Leroy was staring at the two girls ahead of him. He knew Lilo perfectly and he loathed her, but Krista… he hadn't seen her before. He got absent-minded when he saw how beautiful this experiment was…

-Krista, when did you paralyze him? I never saw you trying to do anything… —Lilo whispered to Krista, but she didn't know either what was going on and shook her head confused.

-LEROY!!!!!!!!!!!! Do something… **NOW!!!!!!!** —Hamsterviel exploited as he saw Leroy doing nothing but stare absent minded at Krista. Finally Leroy started to move:

-Hum, err…hi-i-i-ie-e —he said as he waved his hand towards Krista. Krista just stared at him confused, but Lilo knew what was going on and just smirked at Krista:

-I think sooomebody is in L-O-V-E with you, Krissy —she chanted as she pointed to Leroy. Krista understood Lilo quickly and blushed intensely as she shook her head, smiling nervously.

Hamsterviel stared at the scene speechless because of anger, but after some minutes he started to scold Leroy and yell at everyone:

-LEROY!!!!!!! DO SOMETHING NOW OR I'LL TEACH YOU…!!!!!!!

Hamsterviel couldn't end with his sentence because as he tried to make Leroy to do something, all of sudden, a loud noise could be heard, and then all of them saw the sluice opening slowly… after the smoke dissipated, a shape entered quickly to the room. Lilo's eyes filled with tears of sheer joy… there was him _ALIVE…_

-Stitch!!!

Yes, there was him, entering the room totally safe and sound!!! It wasn't a dream… it was real, and she could feel nothing but sheer joy, relief, happiness… her heart was bumping with all kind of emotions… and he wasn't alone. There was Nani, Jumba, Pleackley… and even Victoria!!!

Lilo ran towards Stitch, forgetting everything, but then she felt something pulling her carelessly away from her family… and from Stitch. She whirled her head and saw the first clone that Krista had paralyzed pulling her away.

-Oh, this is a SO beautiful familiar party!!!!! I hope you don't mind if I invite some friends… —Hamsterviel smirked as he pressed a button from a remote control. As he pressed the button, four hidden sluices opened, revealing a clone on each of them smirking at them.

Stitch growled when he saw the original Leroy standing there. He could recognize him because his aroma… all the other clones smelt the same.

-Leroys… attack!!!!!

The clones growled and charged against everybody there. Stitch punched two of them that tried to beat him down, and then approached the original Leroy…

Leroy seemed like if he had been awoken up, and when he saw Stitch ahead of him, it was too late to avoid his fist. He went flying towards a dark corner on the spaceship and smiled. He approached to the dark corner, but he didn't saw it coming, he just felt Leroy's foot crashing against his stomach, sending him slipping through the room to end crashing against a wall.

-Stitch!!! —he heard a female voice —leave da boojibu alone!!!

"_-Stitch!!! —another voice filled the room.—leave da boojibu alone!!!"_

Stitch's eyes grew wide as he heard the voice… that was too much like on his dream!!!

"No, Stitch… calm down… that was Lilo's voice, only that sounding too much like Krista's" he thought, but that wasn't enough for him to believe… Lilo wouldn't call him "boojibu".

-K-Krista??? —he said, even though he was trying to convince himself that it wasn't what he believed…

"_-K-Krista??? —he uttered, almost stupidly."_

There was just a missing part of his dream. He _had_ to see her. His stomach was aching roughly, and he tried to calm down the pain with his hand, but it was useless. Suddenly, he felt a hand landing on the spot he was trying to heal. That was just too much…like his dream…

"_He felt a soft hand landing on his pained stomach, and it stopped aching as she put her hand there. Finally, he could whirl his head to see who was there, and he confirmed what he had thought… there was his former angel…"_

-Did Stitch… get hurt? —he heard again the voice, now upon him.

"_-Did Stitch… get hurt? —she asked."_

Stitch whirled his head. The pain on his stomach had disappeared now, but what he saw was even stronger than Leroy's kick. She was alive…

**Okay, you've read it... now you can kill me if you want, or just tell me how much do you hate me... nah, I'm kidding. Stitch's dream part wasn't my original idea... I took that idea since I read "His Conundrum"... I know you probably have noticed that, MisGel... it seemed like a good idea for the chapter. Well, now wait for next chapter to find out how Stitch will react to Krista's appearing and how it will affect the story... I hope you don't have to wait till next week... if I have enough time, I'll update on Sunday, so MisGel please don't think that you'll have to wait a whole week for next chapter. The ending is coming soon!!!**


	14. Chapter 13

I'm sorry I couldn't update on Sunday. My family and I went to a familiar trip and I kept away from the computer for two days or more. However, I could update today. For all those who are wondering if Lilo's gonna die, she's not, but she's gonna be hurt badly, so if you're sensitive to the bloody scenes... nah, I'm kidding. It's not that bloody, after all. Hope you like it!!!!!!_**  
**_

_**WHAT'S THE BEST CHOICE?**_

_Chapter 13_

_The unexpected happens_

-Let me go, you bad clone!!!

Lilo tried to get those arms to untie from her shoulders, but he was stronger than her. The clone enjoyed seeing Lilo's efforts to get free from his arms and smirked whenever she tried to twist under him.

-I'm serious!!! If you don't let me go, Stitch is gonna…!!!

Lilo gasped when she saw Krista bending down to Stitch's body. She forgot the clone smirking at her, she forgot she was far away from Earth, she forgot she was kidnapped… now Stitch knew that Krista was alive, and that scared her… now she had surely lost all her hopes to win Stitch's heart, maybe for ever… her heart shrank at the sight of Krista bent down next to Stitch… she forced her eyes to try to see Stitch, but she couldn't see very well Stitch… the only thing she could see from him was his feet. She felt scared more than ever on her life, because she knew of the love Stitch had felt for Krista, and maybe still feel. She was so worried about all that that she didn't realized of somebody approaching them, she just heard a loud noise and realized that she was free from the clone's arms. She whirled her head to see who had freed her.

-Jumba? But how could you…?

-Ha!!! If Little Girl is wondering how Jumba could free you from that clone, then you must know that I was prepared —he said as he showed a great pan on his hand —some of the things Pleackley brought are really useful. And here's something really useful evil genius brought for you —he said as he took out a little blue bottle. Lilo recognized it quickly: it was her formula to change her form.

-But why did you bring it here? —Lilo asked as she took the bottle from Jumba's hand.

-First, Jumba thought Little Girl might need it to defend herself, and second because Jumba has seen that 620 isn't dead as everybody thought, and you might want to turn into experiment to win 626's heart.

Lilo thought about what Jumba said for a moment, but she just dropped her head as she started to talk:

-No, Jumba… I will use the formula just to protect myself, but I can't stop what Stitch feels about Krista… it's his choice if he wants to stay with her and love her again. Besides, I never had the time I would have like to have befriending Stitch as Lani, so there's no reason to think he will choose Lani. That's my experiment name, in case I didn't tell you. I'm sure he still loves her… just look over there —she said as she pointed to the place Krista was with Stitch. Krista was already on Stitch's arms and he was hugging her back. Lilo's eyes filled with sadness tears and her vision became blurry.

-But you love 626, right? Then why are you letting him go? —Jumba asked confused as he saw how Lilo's eyes were getting wet.

-Because of the same you just said —Lilo lift her eyes to stare at Jumba's —I'm letting him go because I love him, because when you love someone you have to let that person go and be happy, even if that means you don't see him again. I know I'll see him again because we live on the same house, but I'll never have again the chance of think of him as more than a friend. At least he'll be happy with Krista. I think I'm hurting myself thinking about all that, so I'll better go and help everybody else fighting.

Lilo ran away to anywhere else. She tried to hold the tears, but some of them were already running down her cheeks. If she had stayed some seconds more there, and if her vision hadn't became blurry she would have seen that Stitch's face was troubled and confused, and he was trying to pull Krista away, instead of hugging her back, as Lilo had thought. His head couldn't get that she was alive, and he was really confused. Some days ago he had thought that Lilo was now his love, his boojibu… but then Krista appears from nowhere on his life, and he didn't know what to do.

-Krista, but meega… meega thought Krista was dead —he uttered as he pulled Krista away from him —where was Krista all those years?

Stitch couldn't hear any reply from Krista, because just after he pulled Krista away, a strong force sent him flying and crash against a wall. He moaned when he felt his head and back aching, and saw Leroy preparing to charge against him again. He stood up quickly and began preparing himself for the attack he was about to receive. Leroy tried to assault him just like a bull, but Stitch's fist was ready and sent Leroy slipping across the floor rapidly, and he crashed against a computer.

While Stitch was trying to fight Leroy, everyone of the Ohana had someone to fight with, because at least each one of them had a clone to fight against. Nani and Victoria were helping each other as fighting with some guns Jumba had given them, while Pleackley was team-working with Jumba, Pleackley with a huge pan and Jumba with a gun.

Nani was really impressed with the skill Victoria had to aim with the guns and wondered how a little girl could aim so well:

-Wow, Victoria, I didn't know that you could aim like that. Where did you learn to do that?

Victoria just smiled as she shot against a Leroy approaching her by her back. The Leroy got stuck to the wall with a sticky, blue-ish substance (the same Link uses on his episode to link the persons).

-Ask Lilo. Playing "Wasp Mummies 5" has helped Lilo and me to improve our aiming skill. Those mummies moved really quickly —she said as she shot against another Leroy. Nani tried to aim like that to the clones, but her aiming wasn't as good as Victoria's, and her shot ended always on some wall or computer, nearly hitting some member of the family.

-I think you better start to play some videogames, Nani —Victoria said as she saw how Nani's shot tossed away the pan Pleackley had on his hand.

-Hey, be careful, Nani!!! Do you know how hard is going to be to take out that… evil substance from my pan??? —Pleackley compelled as he frowned. He didn't remember the name Jumba used for the substance, and that annoyed him a bit.

-Do not be worrying, walking noodle Pleackley —Jumba said as he approached to the sticky pan —I have some samples of mud right here —he said as he took out from his coat a test tube with the mud inside of it. He poured all the mud on the pan and after some seconds it was totally free from the glue.

-Now, can you give me the honor of…?

-Of course, walking noodle —said Jumba as he pointed to the pan.

-Oh, well, this pan is really heavy… you could at least have handled it to me so I hadn't to pick it up from the floor —Pleackley compelled —I'll go to the mall next week to buy some new pan that might be less heavy than this one.

That pan was one of those old pans that are really heavy, and Pleackley could barely handle with it. As he bent down to pick up the pan, a Leroy approached Pleackley by the back and prepared his paws to give a really good hit, but suddenly Pleackley lifted the pan with so much force that it made him to fall backwards with it on his hands. The pan hit the Leroy's head, and a loud clang was heard on the room. The Leroy just uttered some non-sense words and passed out.

-So, are you thinking the same about the primitive kitchen devise? —Jumba asked as he pointed to the fallen Leroy. Pleackley stared at him startled.

-Well, I didn't know my own power. I'm becoming stronger!!! I love this pan!!! —he said as he kissed repeatedly the pan, while Jumba just stared at him, wondering why he had befriended with that being.

-Hey, we have defeated all the Leroys!!! —cried Victoria as she pointed to the defeated experiments.

-Yeah!!! That's so good!!! Now let's take Lilo and go home!!! —cried Nani as she crashed her hand against Victoria's. Maybe what she had felt about something wrong was just fear.

-Don't cry out victory yet!!! You haven't defeated my original Leroy!!! —Hamsterviel yelled as he pointed to the two fighting shapes on the darkness.

That was true. All the other Leroys were lying on the floor unconscious or were glued to the walls with the sticky glue, but there was still one left.

Stitch was trying really hardly to defeat Leroy, but his revenge desire was making him stronger than what Stitch could stand. It was more difficult to avoid his punches with every second that passed, and he could hardly hit him. Leroy smirked whenever he punched Stitch, making him to feel more eager to get his revenge, to kill him on that way…

Everybody had silenced just to watch the two fighters. No one could do anything; the ones who had guns couldn't use them because they didn't want to hurt Stitch more than what Leroy had already hurt him. Stitch still had forces, but they were decreasing rapidly with each punch and each kick; he had never confronted a rage such like Leroy's; not even 627 had hit him like that. Unlike to him, Leroy forces seemed to increase with every punch and kick he gave Stitch. Although he was feeling weaker as the time passed, Stitch decided not to give up because of his family, and especially because of Lilo, and now… because of Krista.

Stitch jumped to his feet and hurled against Leroy; after some seconds, they were rolling on the floor, trying to punch each other… for some minutes, Leroy seemed to be the one who was winning, but other times, Stitch was the one who seemed to be getting the victory. One of those times Stitch remained upon Leroy, he prepared his fist to punch Leroy on his face, but he didn't notice Leroy's legs lifting under his stomach.

The next Stitch felt was a stinging pain on his stomach and saw for some seconds that the ceiling was under him and the floor above his head, and before he even could reach the floor, he felt another hit on his head and was sent flying until his head crashed against the ceiling. He tried weakly to take a hold of the ceiling with his claws, but his arms were getting too tired and he fell to the floor, along with a huge piece of steel from the ceiling.

Leroy smirked as he approached to the heaps of steel and wires. He was sure that 626 would resist just two hits before falling defeated on the floor, choking with his own blood… well, maybe he wasn't hurt like that… not yet. He started tossing away some of the fallen plaques, searching for 626. Everybody feared the worst about Stitch, because no motion could be noticed under the plaques. Suddenly, when Leroy lifted one of those plaques, a blue blur rushed against Leroy, making him fall to the floor.

Everybody let out a sigh of relief when they saw Stitch coming out from the steel heaps, but the tension came back as they observed them intensifying the fight they had started. Stitch was punching Leroy on his face with all the forces he had, and it seemed to be working for some seconds, but suddenly Leroy twisted under Stitch and knocked him down.

He grabbed one piece of steel from the heap Stitch had left there and approached Stitch menacingly. Stitch had just got to his feet when the huge plaque hit him and crashed against a computer. The glass pieces flew away from the computer while Stitch fell to a keyboard under the computer, tearing it to pieces as well. Some of the wires of the computer had gone out of the computer, making Stitch to get entangled with them, unable to move away from there.

Leroy dropped his steel plaque and grabbed a sharp girder from the same steel heap. Stitch had remained motionless; he hadn't even opened his eyes and he wasn't moving. Leroy approached more and more with the girder and lifted it above Stitch to give a last hit.

Jumba tried to run to help Stitch, but the clone Pleackley had hit had woken up and stopped him. He grabbed some wires and tied all the family, leaving them unable to do something too.

Stitch managed to open his eyes and saw Leroy lifting the girder above his head and made a last attempt to stop him; he pulled out his extra arms and burst the wires away. He stood up quickly and moved away just before Leroy hit the place where he had been some seconds ago. Leroy tried to take out his girder from the broken keyboard, but when the girder was out, Stitch had already hurled himself against Leroy with his fist prepared and sent him flying away until he crashed against the remains of a keyboard.

Leroy stood up quickly and hurled against Stitch too. Now he didn't try to hit him; instead he bit him on his neck. Stitch let out a loud scream of pain as he felt the sharp razor teeth sticking into his fur and then into his skin. He tried to take Leroy away from his neck, but Leroy wasn't willing to let out that part. Stitch thought rapidly on something that could help him to get rid of those teeth on his neck, but it was hard to think about anything while having sharp teeth piercing the skin under your neck.

Stitch flung himself against the floor, thinking that maybe that would make Leroy to loose his bite from his neck, but Leroy moved away when he crashed against the floor, still keeping his piercing fangs on the neck of his foe. When Stitch reached the floor, he just managed to get Leroy upon him, freezing him completely and leaving him more defenseless since they started fighting. Whenever Stitch remained motionless, Leroy's teeth pierced deeper through his neck, but if he moved trying to get away from Leroy, he just kept holding his bite there.

Everybody, except Hamsterviel of course, were staring horrified how a little stream of magenta blood started flowing from Stitch's neck, staining his ocean fur and making a little puddle on the floor. Stitch's breathing became hard; every breath meant a sting of pain on his chest and lungs, and he had already lost all the forces he had. Now he was sure that Leroy would increase the pressure on his jaw until he reached the greatest vein on the body of any living being: his jugular. Stitch had seen the blobs of blood on the ground and had convinced himself that he had not too long until he left. Leroy was a lot stronger than him, and he had no hopes: his family would see him dying right there.

After several painful seconds, Leroy finally released Stitch's neck from his razor teeth. A big smirk drew on his face, showing his magenta bloodstained teeth. Stitch was lying on the floor panting for oxygen; miraculously, Leroy hadn't reached his jugular, apparently intentionally. The oxygen started flowing back to his lungs, and now there was no pain whenever he breathed, although the blood was still flowing from his neck. He tried to get to his feet, but his limbs were too weak to make any motion, and he remained laying on the floor.

Leroy was staring at Stitch with pure loathe on his eyes. He would have desired to have increased the pressure on his neck to kill him on that way, but the worst part was still coming… at least for Stitch. His ultimate sorrow was still coming. He hadn't seen a certain person by anywhere, but he knew how to make her go out from her hiding place. He took out a gun from nowhere and aimed at a defenseless Stitch and just waited…

-**NO!!!!!!!**

A red blur rushed across the room and hit Leroy, making him to knock down onto the ground. He growled and got to his feet, looking for that insolent girl who had dared to treat him like that. To his surprise, there wasn't the weak, little Earth girl he had been expecting for; instead there was a beautiful red female experiment with a flower design on her chest. She was already knelt next to Stitch, staring scared at the blood poodle. She hadn't ever seen Stitch's blood, and the only fact that there were not drops, but blobs of it was more than worrying.

Stitch opened his eyes. Everything was blurry, but he could realize that he wasn't alone and looked for the one who was next to him. He saw a deep red shape and tried to focus his vision.

-Lani? —he whispered when he could recognize that shape —Gaba you doing here?

-Don't worry, Stitch. I'm gonna take you home… you'll be okay, I promise.

Stitch stared into her eyes. There was a loving glance that only Lilo used when she was trying to calm him down whenever he was sad or angry, and for some seconds he imagined that Lilo was the one who was beside him. Lani/Lilo smiled at him as she scratched softly his ears and caressed his cheek lovingly, looking at him with deep love, all the contrary to Leroy's hateful glance. Stitch smiled obliviously at her too and purred slightly at her touch. He could close his eyes and imagine that there was Lilo beside him instead of Lani. She stood up and helped him to get to his feet. Stitch's forces were coming back, and now he could at least keep on his feet.

Leroy stared at them with a hatred glance and approached the red experiment. He grabbed her by her arm carelessly, taking her away from Stitch:

-Hey, what do you think you're doing, huh? —Lani compelled, but Leroy didn't take any care about her words and carried her to a near wall.

-Lani!!! Goobaja Lani, Leroy!!!! —Stitch shouted as he growled. He started to move his feet towards the two experiments, but Hamsterviel voice stopped him:

-Well, seems like this weakling wants a bit more of suffering. Leroy, can you give him what he wants???

Leroy just growled as he tied Lani's hands with some handcuffs. Stitch hadn't noticed it, but Krista was there too, as well with the handcuffs tying her hands. As Leroy tied both of them, two hideous guns went out from the ceiling and aimed at both of them. Stitch stared at them worried, not knowing what Hamsterviel wanted. Something inside of him told him that something was going to end on a bad, a really bad way.

-Now, as you can see, 626, these two guns are aiming just to your two little friends. I'll have some mercy for you. Only one of those guns is going to shoot plasma, and the other is going to do nothing. As I know, no one of your girlfriends is bullet-proof or fire-proof, so the result will be catastrophic on one of them. You'll decide who's going to be saved: your former girlfriend, or your "new" friend. You have only ten seconds to decide —Hamsterviel pointed to the two girls and smiled to himself. His plan was going out perfectly by now.

Stitch tried to run towards the two girls, but his legs were just getting right from his former weakness, letting him to do nothing but just walk slow and painfully. He noticed how every time the girls moved, the cannon of the guns followed their moves. There was no escape.

-_Five…_ —the computer beeped slowly.

-Oh, I was wrong… you had only five seconds —Hamsterviel smirked as he observed Stitch's efforts to get to his friends.

-_Four…_

Stitch glanced to the computer counter. The number three was twinkling weakly, and he intensified his efforts.

-_Three…_

Lilo was staring at Stitch. He wouldn't get there in time. For first time on her life, his best friend might not be there in time for her, and no one could save her. She was totally alone… _alone. _

-_Two…_

Krista was staring worriedly at Stitch too. He had understood their fate… one of the two girls was going to be hurt, maybe even to death.

-_One…_

The guns' cannons started to shine with a red light as they lifted. Krista and Lilo stared at each other worriedly while some tears started to trail down their cheeks.

-Aloha, Lilo.

-Aloha, Krista.

After the two girls said their farewells, they closed their eyes, waiting for the last shot.

-_Activating the guns… now_ — the computer beeped tonelessly.

Stitch's eyes widened with worry and sorrow. Now he had understood what Leroy and Hamsterviel had meant when they said they wanted him to suffer. They had hurt him, but now they were going to kill one of the two girls he loved the most. He had barely met Lani, but somehow he felt he had known her from all his life. He saw how the guns lifted and understood… he wouldn't get there in time.

A bright light went out from one of the guns and a plasma shot followed the light, approaching rapidly to the blue furred experiment.

-**NO!!!!!!!!!**

The shot didn't reach its objective. The bright green light crashed against another thing. A dense smoke filled the room. There was some kind of smell inundating the room, something that smelt of something burned.

Everybody coughed as the smoke filled the room. The ones who were tied with the wires didn't know what had happened. Jumba, Victoria and Pleackley knew who Lani was, but though Nani didn't know, she was worried too.

The smoke dissipated slowly. The soft lights of the ship revealed a shape of someone lying on the floor motionlessly. Stitch's eyes widened and his jaw dropped almost to the floor when he recognized the red shape:

-Lani!!!

He didn't take care about the pain stinging on his neck, or the weakness on his legs and arms. He rushed to her side and knelt next to her. The memories of his dream inundated him again. Lani was lying on the floor, surrounded by a little puddle of her own blood. Stitch focused his vision on the blood and felt his own blood getting frozen… the blood was a crimson color, just like humans…

He took her on his arms. The blood was flowing plentifully from the right side of Lani. She had a huge gash crossing her right side to her chest. Her beautiful white fur was stained with the reddish liquid. It had no sense for Stitch: everything was happening so fast that he wondered if he wasn't having another horrible nightmare. His question was replied quickly. As he held the little weak female, her fur started to disappear, and her long, black antennas cut up to large, silky hairs. Stitch stared startled at all this transformation. Finally, the red experiment disappeared, leaving instead on his arms a little, weak girl with a huge gash on her side. The blood was covering almost all his red muumuu, staining with red the white leaves on it. The blue female was staring at the scene respectfully at certain distance, with some tears on her eyes.

-Lilo??? What happened? —he asked, oblivious about his perfect English. He only cared about Lilo now… he feared the worse about her, and did want to believe it was just a horrible nightmare, but everything was too real just to avoid it…

Lilo coughed out some of blood. She tasted that metallic flavor on her tongue and passed her hands through her mouth, finding it covered completely by blood. She opened her eyes wide at the sight of her own blood, but suddenly a keen pain stung her on her right side.

-Stitch… coughs

The tears started inundating Stitch's eyes. "Please, make her be okay" he prayed as he lifted slightly his eyes to the ceiling.

-Lilo, you are bleeding…

Lilo passed her hand through Stitch's neck, getting bloodstained with the magenta liquid.

-You're bleeding too. Don't worry about me… I'm coughs… I'm okay —she said as she showed him the magenta blood.

-Naga, Lilo. What did you do?

Lilo turned aside her head, but Stitch took her by her chin and made her to look at his eyes. Lilo stared at him and after some seconds she broke down on the tears.

-I jumped to deflect away the shot from Krista… coughs Stitch, I know you love her, and I know it would be painful for you to lose her again… I didn't want you to go through that pain again coughs… Please, I want you to understand me… I didn't want you to suffer on that way again. I could…coughs feel your pain whenever you cried over her… now, you've found her coughs… I feel the forces going away from my body… I have not too long, I can feel it… please, make me a favor coughs… I did this because I want you to be happy… Please, don't disappoint me… be coughs… be happy… with her.

Stitch shook his head as the tears flowed from his eyes. Lilo lifted her hand and took his hand weakly, interlacing her fingers with his. With a last effort, she lifted her head and brought her lips to his. Stitch didn't know what to feel, what to think… he felt this was going to be the only time he could kiss Lilo. He could just feel a deep sadness, but even though he kissed her back. Lilo tried weakly to bring her arms around his neck. Stitch, realizing of this, leaned over her not to make her to force her body more than now. Her lips were brushing against his softly. Stitch desired the moment to never end, and as he thought it he tightened his arms around her back, intensifying the kiss. After some minutes, the kiss came to its end. They pulled away slowly, not wanting to let go each other's lips, but their lungs were stinging for oxygen. Finally, Stitch pulled Lilo away softly, taking care about her wound. Lilo opened her eyes and smiled weakly at him by last time.

-I love you, Stitch. I always did.

Her hand loosened inside Stitch's as she closed her eyes. Stitch could feel clearly a painful crack on his chest, like if something inside of him had broken to tears.

-No, Lilo… please, don't leave me… no…. NO!!!!!!!!!

He shook the girl by her shoulders, like wanting to wake her up, but Lilo didn't open her eyes.

Krista was now beside the family, and she had freed them from the wires surrounding them. Jumba ran to Stitch's side and knelt next to Stitch.

-Little girl isn't dead, 626, so don't be worrying… but we have to hurry up if we want to keep her alive. I still have your fusion chamber on the ship; that will keep her alive while we arrive to Earth.

Jumba tried to lift Lilo on his massive hands, but Stitch stopped him and he lifted her on his own arms. Jumba didn't say anything. Now he knew Stitch's true feelings about Lilo. Everybody saw how they kissed, and now everybody knew about their feelings about each other. Maybe the problems about the species stuff would come later, because now everybody was worried about Lilo, even Nani didn't take care about the kiss when she saw that her little sister was badly hurt.

As everybody was moving to the ship, Hamsterviel was laughing hysterically, more than evilly:

-Finally, I have got rid from that weak, annoying Earth girl!!!!!!

Stitch growled as he heard Hamsterviel's voice, and as he still held Lilo on his arms, he turned to stare at Hamsterviel with scorn. He took one of the guns with the sticky substance and turned to aim at Hamsterviel:

-**DON'T YOU DARE TO TALK ABOUT LILO LIKE THAT!!!!!!!!!** —he yelled as he made the shot. Hamsterviel was sent flying to a near wall and he stayed there, stuck with the glue.

Leroy didn't know what to think. He had never seen somebody sacrificing him/herself because loved someone else, and he couldn't understand either what love was. He had now a crush on Krista, that was right, but that wasn't true love. He was so thoughtful that he didn't realize that he had been left alone with Hamsterviel.

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The old chamber was working again, but instead Stitch's body, there was lying Lilo. Her face had a peaceful expression and her limbs were motionless. She seemed just like if she were asleep, but everybody knew she wasn't.

Stitch went out from the restroom, after cleaning his wounds. He didn't really care, but Jumba had told him what could happen to him if he didn't clean that wound, and after all he had to obey his creator.

He approached to the fusion chamber to see his angel. Her hair had a light green shine, due to the soft green light that the chamber irradiated. She seemed just like if she were asleep, so peacefully sleeping…

He felt a knot on his throat and knew that the tears were about to go out. He placed his hands gently on the glass, wishing he could hug Lilo.

-You told me once that your family never gets left behind —he whispered —please, you're my family. Without you, I'm nothing but only Stitch. Please, don't leave me behind… I haven't forgotten you. Please, make an effort to keep yourself alive. I will be waiting for you. You told me too that love is more powerful than death… if that helps I want you to know that I love you too... I hope my love can keep you alive… I know, I cried over Krista when I thought she was dead, but I'm sure I would die if you do… please, I need you… da boojibu.

The tears were flowing from his eyes and falling on the crystal of the chamber. However, Lilo didn't move. She remained sleeping peacefully there, not knowing how much suffering her near death was provoking. After some minutes of standing there, Stitch felt his eyes were getting tired, and his eyelids were getting heavy. He didn't go to sleep on some comfortable seat, just like everybody. He grabbed an old, dusty blanket and dropped on the floor, next to the fusion chamber.

"I love you too. Please, be okay" he thought before he faded away.

**Well, the next chapter will be the last one. I hope all of you have enjoyed my story till now. On the next chapter, I'll make a little summary of my next story. I have not too long by now, so I'll just tell that maybe I'll have time to submit untill the next Wednesday.**


	15. Chapter 14

Well, finally we got to the final chapter (sighs)... I liked the ending, just that... I'm not really sure about all the first part of the chapter. Well, tell me what you think about the chapter on your reviews. I'll be really glad to receive the comments of what did you think about the chapter. Hope you enjoy. Oh, by the way, I couldn't update on Wednesday because I forgot that tuesday was my dad's b-day, and I couldn't even touch the computer that day, and the Wednesday I got a lot of homework for school. Well, just read, okay?

_**WHAT'S THE BEST CHOICE?**_

_Chapter 14_

"_L__ove you always"_

Stitch opened his eyes slowly. The first he thought was why he was lying on the floor of the ship, instead of his comfortable cot on the dome. When his vision became clear, the single sight of the fusion chamber reminded him of all the happenings of last day… they had arrived to Earth about at three o' clock in the morning. Everybody had gone to their respective beds, but he had remained on the cold steel, beside of Lilo's sleeping body.

The golden rays of the sun entered through the hatchways of the spaceship, inundating the room with a golden glitter. There, on the old fusion chamber, was his sleeping beauty. He stretched and approached to the chamber slowly. Amazingly, her red muumuu had disappeared, leaving instead her hula suit. She looked beautiful indeed like that: the white top had turned into gold, and her hair had some golden shine too, due to the daybreak sun, and her grassy skirt had some golden glitters too. He smiled at her. She seemed to be just sleeping peacefully, but he knew she wasn't sleeping… on that right moment, she was debating between life and death. At that thought, the smile faded away from his face, and the tears started flowing like little streams. The most he desired was to see her opening those beautiful eyes and smile at him again, just like before…

-Stitch?

Stitch turned his head slowly and smiled lightly. The blue furred experiment approached him and smiled lightly too.

-Aloha, Krista.

-Lilo will be okay?

Stitch lowered his eyes and stared to the gash on Lilo's right side. He shook his head sadly:

-Meega doesn't know… Stitch hopes Lilo will be oki-takka, but… what if she…? —he lowered again his eyes and stared to the floor.

-Naga… Lilo is strong. Lilo will be oki-takka, Stitch. Naga worry —she smiled at him and leaned her head over his shoulder. Gently, her arm wrapped around Stitch's shoulder, trying to comfort him. Stitch looked at her over his shoulder and took the hand she had on his shoulder, squeezing it lightly.

-Thanks, Krista. Stitch knows you want to comfort me, but meega would rather to be… alone… only for a while. I'll see you at breakfast time.

-Oki-takka. See you —Krista untied her arm from Stitch's shoulder and unplaced her head from his shoulder. Suddenly, she took his face between her hands and gave him a light peck on his lips. Before Stitch could react, she was gone from his vision. He didn't try to follow her or saying anything.

"Krista… I was waiting so much for you to come back home, to me… I loved you so much, and I missed you a lot. But now there's Lilo… she has been my best friend always, and she has been beside of me always when I needed her… now, she's lying there, just because she wanted me to be happy with you. She told me she loved me, and that's why she risked her own life, just because she wanted me to be happy… Krista, Lilo… Lilo, Krista. Who do I truly love?"

He stared at the little green screen of the fusion chamber. Some green glistening lines showed the rhythm of the beatings of her heart. Her face hadn't its usual flush; it was pale, and not even the usual tan color of her face was there. His mind remembered lively his nightmare… the upset, almost depressed face Lilo showed when she saw Krista and him kissing. Now he knew that she loved him, and he knew he loved her, but there was Krista too. He had loved her, and promised to love her always, but he couldn't be with both of them all the time… if Lilo survived, he had to decide… if Lilo survived… what if she didn't?

He shook his head. He had to keep his hopes alive… Lilo wasn't dead, then why was he thinking like if she was already dead? She was his Ohana, and he had to be beside of her, just like she was beside of him when he needed her. Now she needed him.

Anyway, if she survived who would he choose? What was the best choice? If he chose Lilo, Krista would become depressed, and he didn't know if there would be somebody for her, somebody who could love her just as much as he did, and besides, she had been his former love, the one he thought was his true love. She had been waiting for him a long time, just like he had been waiting for her… on the other hand, if he chose Krista, Lilo would be more than upset. Yeah, she had said that she wanted him to be happy, but she surely would have to sacrifice her own happiness to make Stitch happy, and that would kill her slowly, making her eventually to have a wretched life, which is the same than being dead on life… he would be killing her on her insides. He didn't want anybody to get hurt, but somebody would, eventually… it was just a matter of time before he decided, and unfortunately one of the girls was going to get hurt.

He sighed and stared at Lilo. He thought that Love was really confusing, and it hurt. Nothing was easy on Love… why he had fallen in love with somebody so different to him? Why the fate had brought Krista back to him, just when he wanted to reset all again, to start again with somebody new? He had already felt what was like to lose Krista. It had been something that shattered him, but after a while he overcame all those sadness feelings. He didn't know what was like to lose Lilo, but surely he didn't want to know… he felt really bad whenever Lilo disapproved something he did, making him to feel more than upset. How much more pain would mean to lose Lilo forever? He surely would die the same day Lilo died.

His troubled mind was spinning quickly with all those thoughts. After some attempts, he finally cleared his mind and placed his hand on the glass of the chamber. He remembered how some years ago, he had been just in the same place where Lilo was now and in the same condition, about to die. He wished that glass not to interpose between Lilo and him, so he could hold her on his arms and hug her tightly, but the most he could do was placing his hand on the crystal, wishing he could do more than that. He bent down and placed his lips on the crystal, trying to imagine they were on her cheeks:

-Please, wake up… Don't leave me behind. I love you.

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"_The days passed with their nights, all of them without something new but pain. Each day, the hopes that Lilo could get okay decreased greatly, leaving instead the resignation of Lilo's probable death. Even Jumba, who had said so many times that Lilo would get okay, had lost almost all his hopes… the only one who still believed that Lilo was going to be okay was Stitch. He had promised Lilo to be beside of her, keeping his hopes until the last moment, because she was his Ohana._

_Stitch stared into the rainy backyard. He was on the spaceship, waiting… just waiting. He had heard Jumba talking to Nani about to turn off the fusion camera, because it had no sense to keep Lilo suffering like that, struggling against death. He had heard it only twice, but he was sure that they had talked about it more than twice, and Nani had always said that they should wait a little bit more, but each time, her reply sounded with less hopes than the last reply. Now he just wanted to watch if anybody approached to the fusion chamber to turn it off. He would assure not to allow anybody to approach Lilo… he wasn't going to let them to let Lilo die._

_He perked his ears when he heard the footsteps outside. His heart accelerated his beating inside of him, like sensing what was going to happen. Finally, the sluices opened, leaving at the sight Jumba, Pleackley, Nani and Krista. All of them entered to the room and started walking to the fusion chamber. Stitch clenched his hands into fists and gulped loudly._

_-Meega knows what you are going to do._

_Everybody looked at him sadly and then turned aside their eyes to avoid Stitch's penetrating eyes. Jumba knelt next to him and placed one of his massive hands on his shoulder:_

_-626, you have to understand… we are doing all of this because we do not want Little Girl to be suffering. This is the only way we can end with her suffering and…_

_-I don't care that!!! Lilo is gonna be okay!!! Stitch promised to stand by her side until she decided to come back or to give up!!!! If you disconnect Lilo, she will not have any opportunity to come back!!!!!!!!!!!!_

_-Stitch, please… all of we would want to think the same way you're thinking, but that's just impossible… Lilo has been connected to that machine by over three weeks, and she's not showing any kind of recovery… we're just retarding her death… that's meant to be, and nothing can be done —Nani gave just two steps ahead. Her chocolate eyes were glistening with the tears._

_-Naga… Lilo isn't meant to die… I'm not going to let you approach the fusion chamber —Stitch growled as he showed his bare teeth. Outside, he seemed to be mad at them, but inside of him he felt he wanted to yell and cry to no end. He knew he couldn't stop them for too long… they would disconnect Lilo when he wasn't there, when he couldn't help her…_

_-Am being sorry to hear that, 626. Jumba thought you could understand if we talked to you, but seems like you do not want to understand. 620, you know what to do…_

_Krista stared at Jumba sadly. She knew clearly what she had to do and lifted he hand, aiming at Stitch:_

_-Naga, Krista… please… —Stitch pleaded. Krista stared at him sadly and shook her head:_

_-Meega sorry, Stitch. Meega is grateful with Lilo because Lilo saved Krista… but Lilo suffering. Meega is sorry._

_A white, blinding flash went out from Krista's hand, reaching its objective. Stitch fell to the floor, slightly motionless. Krista had shot her flash with not so much intensity so Stitch could move just slightly. Jumba approached to the fusion chamber and sighed sadly. Nani couldn't hold it and let the tears to flow freely from her eyes to slide through her cheeks. Pleackley hugged her, trying to comfort her, as some tears went out from his eyes too. Krista just hid her face between her hands and let the tears to flow, soaking her beautiful blueberry fur. Stitch was lying down on the floor, staring with tears on his eyes. He tried to get to his feet, but his body was too slow. He stared by last time to the fusion chamber. Jumba pulled down the lever. Immediately, the green light the chamber was irradiating dissipated. The lines on the little screen were decreasing rapidly, twinkling weakly, and finally they disappeared from the screen._

_-No… —Stitch whispered —__**NO!!!!!!!**_

_He stood up weakly and approached to the lever. The green lights turned on again, but the screen didn't show any sign of life._

_-It is being useless, 626. Little Girl isn't here anymore. She's gone —Jumba said as his eyes were filled with tears. Stitch didn't say anything; he just approached to the fusion chamber and opened the glass, taking Lilo and cradling her on his arms. The gash on her right side was now healed, due Jumba used some chemical paste to heal those kind of wounds, but except of that she seemed just like when they arrived to Earth._

_-Naga, Lilo… please don't give up. Stitch will die if you give up… please… I love you… come back…_

_Stitch started crying over Lilo's motionless body. The tears fell down to her face and some of them slipped through her silky hair. He waited for some miracle; maybe she could open her eyes just like he did... but as minutes passed, he realized that she was really gone. He couldn't stand to see her like that and placed her back on the fusion chamber, and rushed somewhere away. Krista didn't like to see Stitch suffering and tried to go after him, but Jumba stopped her:_

_-No, 620… 626 needs to be alone by now. He needs to cry away his gloom, his sadness… everything._

_Krista just turned her head and stared at the dome. Stitch had surely gone there. She sighed sadly. Maybe Stitch had started to love Lilo like more than just a friend or a sister…_

_But Krista was wrong. The dome wasn't the place where Stitch had gone. He was now under the rain, sitting on the old hammock. The icy rain fell on his shoulders, making him to get totally soaked with the water. The tears of his eyes could have been mistaken by the big drops of the rain. Normally, he would growl at the cold water and would rush to home to be with Lilo… but Lilo was on the spaceship, lying dead on the fusion chamber. He felt so guilty…it was his entire fault Lilo had died… if only he reached both of them on time, or if only he had thought on destroying those hideous guns… but because of his indecision, Lilo had given her life to save Krista's... now she was gone forever."_

-626!!! Are you being alright???

Stitch opened of sudden his eyes. Jumba shook him by his shoulders as he lay down on the floor of the spaceship, next to the fusion chamber. He brought his hands to his eyes and rubbed them. He felt the sides of his hands getting wet with his tears and stared surprised at them… he had been crying.

-Gaba? What happened to Stitch, Jumba?

Jumba stared at him concerned:

-Seems like you forgot to have some breakfast and fell asleep next to the fusion chamber. When I got here, you were yelling and crying… think you had a nightmare.

A nightmare. It had been just a nightmare. Stitch turned his head worriedly to stare at the chamber, but to his relief, it was still turned on, and the green screen showed Lilo's pulse. He stared at the girl's face. She was still sleeping peacefully.

-Lilo will be okay?

Jumba smiled at him:

-Yes. Little girl will be awakening within two days. The gash on his right side needs to get healed. Don't be worrying, she will be okay —he stared at Stitch for some moments—you do love her, right?

Stitch looked at him and widened his eyes, but then he diverted his eyes to the floor.

-Meega doesn't know what to do, Jumba… Stitch loves Lilo… Stitch loves her more than sister, but now there's Krista. Stitch promised to love her always, but now Stitch doesn't know what to do. Should Stitch restart everything with Krista, or give Lilo a chance?

Jumba stared at him for some moments and knelt down to see at his eyes:

-626, I know how much you loved 620. However, time has passed, and now you have fallen in love with Little Girl too. Do you still feel anything about 620?

Stitch diverted his eyes from Jumba's. He didn't know if he still loved Krista. Something was the past, and something very different were his actual feelings today. However, he felt obligated to love Krista, although his recent-discovered love to Lilo.

-Well… I… I think I still love her.

Jumba's eyes got an inquiry glance:

-More than Lilo?

Stitch gulped. What he was going to say wasn't easy, as it wasn't true either:

-Ih… more than Lilo. Maybe… Stitch doesn't love Lilo but like a sister or achie-baba.

-Stitch…

Stitch stared surprised to Jumba. Usually he called him 626, not Stitch. It was all an even to him when Jumba called him by his name.

-Stitch… look at me. Jumba doesn't want you to commit a mistake. I've seen the way you act around Lilo, and it cannot be just a puppy love or a crush. I know you really do love her with true love. Why are you so afraid to love her like that?

-Hey guys!

They turned their heads to see Nani entering the room. They stopped talking and looked at her:

-… What's up? You should be having your breakfast right now. We've been waiting for you two. We're hungry, and I'd bet that you are hungry too. Come home now and let's have some food. You cannot pass the whole time here starving.

-Alright, bigger girl. We're going to the little house now —Jumba stood up from the floor and started walking to the house. However, Stitch hesitated slightly to follow him. Nani stared at him and patted his head:

-She'll be alright, Stitch. Don't worry. Lilo is strong, and she'll get okay soon. Jumba told me that she'll be awakening within two days, just in time for my wedding —she smiled —Come on; let's have some breakfast now —she said as she pushed softly Stitch by his back. Stitch looked at her and started walking to the house reluctantly.

Nani was about to go after him, but then she turned her head to see at the chamber. She hesitated for some seconds, but her feet carried her next to the machine, near of her sister. She remembered how on the spaceship, Stitch ran to her side. She didn't know that experiment was Lilo, and it shocked her when she saw how her sister started to change slowly to the little girl she was used to see. She remembered how she laid on Stitch's arms, and how at last she lifted her head weakly to meet her lips with Stitch's. She seemed to be having such a peace when she was kissing him… she seemed to be happy, enjoying the moment. A flashback of Stitch's anguish filled her head. His crying was an anguish cry, like if he was dying too on that moment. The idea hit her head of sudden. She understood everything, and now she could understand why Lilo had been acting so rare around Stitch and viceversa.

-Oh, Lilo —she whispered as she bent down over the glass of the chamber —why didn't you tell me that? Did you fall in love with Stitch? Oh, baby… I think I understand now all what you did I never understood. You had loved him all this time, and I never realized of it… I'm surprised he's the one you fell in love with. I never thought that… well, but what can I say? When you love someone, the looks or even the specie isn't a matter. I think if mom were here right now she would support your feelings. I cannot go against it, so I want you to know that you have my support too. Now just get well, please…

She placed her hand for some moments on the glass, above Lilo's face. After some seconds she started to walk away, making her way to home.

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The great day had passed. Lilo finally woke up, and everybody was joyful and happy. There passed a couple of weeks, and the day of Nani's wedding had arrived. During all that lapse of time, Stitch avoided Lilo all the time, passing almost all the time with Krista or locked on the spaceship, not letting anyone come inside. He was afraid of everything. He was confused and sad, but thought that being with Krista was the best.

However, Lilo grew depressed. She thought that Stitch didn't want to be with her because she kissed him. She thought that she had ruined their friendship, and she locked herself on the dome almost all the time, and she was seen just when she needed to eat something. She had started to avoid Stitch too, because it hurt her every time she saw Stitch beside Krista, and the few times they meet accidentally, no one of them talked to each other; they just lowered their faces and continued walking, both of them with tears on their eyes; Stitch because he knew he was hurting Lilo, and Lilo because she thought everything had came to its end. The day of Nani's wedding, she had no option but go downstairs to "enjoy that time with her family", but she couldn't feel happy… at least not knowing that her reason to be happy loved somebody else.

The ceremony had been carried out on the backyard. All the experiments and friends had assisted to the party. Nani looked gorgeous on her bride dress, and David looked very handsome too. There were hundreds of seats: the half of them was at the right side, and the other half was at the left side, forming a corridor between them. Lilo was wearing a yellow dress with no sleeves and a design of green leaves on it. It was a simple dress, but even so she seemed beautiful wearing it. She was sitting on the right half, next to Pleackley and Jumba. For first time in a long time, Pleackley was wearing men clothes, instead of the usual wig and dress… well, he was wearing a wig, but it seemed like a man's hair. Stitch and Krista were sitting on the left half of the seats… he was still trying to avoid Lilo. From time to time, he looked at the right half of seats, searching Lilo with his eyes… he thought she was indeed beautiful. Whenever Lilo turned her head to stare at the left side, he diverted his eyes and pretended to be just paying attention to the boring speech of the priest. Sometimes, Lilo tried to look for Stitch with her eyes too, but whenever their eyes met, both of them diverted their eyes to the floor or to the old father, trying to pretend nothing was happening. Finally, after a large and boring speech, the father said the correct words, and the recent-married husband and wife kissed each other for a long time. When Stitch saw how happy Nani and David seemed, his mind ran backwards to the day Lilo kissed him, on Hamsterviel's spaceship. He could make his mind to travel back and revive those precious moments, and even thought he could still feel her lips upon his. He was wandering on his mind with such concentration that he didn't realized that everybody had stood up and were cheering and clapping at the couple. Obliviously, his eyes went back to the line of seats were Lilo was sitting, but this time he couldn't see her. Finally, when everybody moved away to congratulate the couple, he saw the empty seat. His eyes tried to look for her desperately, but no sign of her was found. Before he started walking away, he felt how Krista touched his shoulder lightly:

-Are you okay, Stitch?

-Huh?

-Meega asked if Stitch okay.

Stitch turned his head to see her at her eyes this time:

-Yeah, Stitch is okay… naga bad… meega oki-takka —he said as he forced a smile.

Krista stared at him concerned and sighed:

-Meega needs to talk to you.

She grabbed him by his arm and carried him to the hammock, far away from the music and all the party noises. Stitch helped her climbing to the hammock and then he climbed after her. They sat there and Stitch just looked at Krista, waiting her to say something. Finally, after some seconds of silence, she lifted her eyes and stared into his:

-Stitch, do you still love me?

Stitch gulped. She had taken him by surprise, but after some seconds of shock he recovered his self-control and hugged her:

-Ih! Stitch loves Krista. Why Krista asked that?

However, Krista pushed him away firm, but gently, and stared into his eyes again.

-Stitch, please don't try fooling Krista. Meega wants to ask Stitch something.

-What is it?

-Are you in love with Lilo?

Stitch dropped his eyes to the ground. It seemed like if she had realized of all that. It wasn't a secret to her anymore, but even so he was afraid. However, he nodded slowly. Krista shook her head, on a knowledge gesture.

-Then what is Stitch doing here? Catch her up!

Stitch lifted her eyes from the ground to stare at Krista:

-Then Krista not angry?

Krista shook her head:

-Meega cannot go against love. Stitch naga happy without Lilo. Stitch needs Lilo to be happy, not Krista. Stitch has overcome to Krista, but never will overcome to Lilo —she said and smiled at him —Goobaja! Tell Lilo you love her!!!

Stitch couldn't stop the urge to hug her. His joy was bigger than his reasoning:

-Thank you, Krista… meega glad Krista not angry. Takka!

Stitch hugged her thankful once more, and then jumped down to the ground and rushed away. Krista wasn't sad at all. She was glad, because she knew that they could be still friends. Besides, maybe she could find somebody else someday.

Stitch's nose tried to look for that so well known aroma. He smelt the ground, and then the air… finally, his nose caught the aroma and he rushed on the direction the aroma came from. Finally, his nose carried him to the old tree house. He hadn't been there on a long while, and that little building brought some memories to his mind, sad and happy memories. He smelt again the air to assure he wasn't mistaking. His feet carried him to the back of the tree house and started climbing anxiously. Finally, when he reached the top, he heard an almost inaudible weeping. There was Lilo, sitting on the border of the floor, swinging her legs on the air. Her shoulders were trembling slightly, and she was murmuring some things he couldn't understand. He sharpened his ears and tried to understand what she was saying:

-… well, at least he will be happy with her… but it is still painful. I think he doesn't love me the same way I love him… why him? Why did I have to fall in love with him? If only I could know if he loves me just like a friend…

-Stitch can reply that…

Lilo whirled her head scared when she heard his voice. She diverted her teary eyes from Stitch and looked down at the ground:

-Stitch… I didn't hear you coming. What are you doing here, anyway?

Stitch noticed on her voice a hint of fear and sadness. He started walking, approaching to her calmly. He sat next to Lilo, swinging his legs on the air too and looked for her face with his eyes. Lilo, noticing Stitch eyes trying to meet her eyes, closed them and sighed sadly. Stitch saw the tears on her flushed cheeks, and dried one of them with his hand:

-Please, don't cry Lilo; isa naga good to be sad; isa better to be happy.

Lilo shook her head and opened her eyes, still staring down at the grass and the fallen leaves:

-I cannot be happy, Stitch… I just can't. I haven't a really good reason to be happy.

-Why?

-Please, Stitch, I don't want to talk about that. Please, just leave me… leave me die alone…

Stitch looked at her, slightly angered:

-Please, don't ever say that!!! You don't know how much meega suffered when you almost died!!! I was so afraid… Stitch had everyday those kinds of nightmares, fearing Lilo died!!! Stitch almost died too…

-Why were you so afraid? I'm nothing to you but just a friend, a part of your family… I'm not the one you truly love… I'm not Krista —the tears started to sting on her eyes, but she continued —you would have copied perfectly my death… you wouldn't do what you did when you thought Krista was dead…

Stitch dropped his head and his ears. He didn't know what to say; the ideas just didn't get to his head. The top of the trees started moving slowly, and the leaves started dancing with the mild breeze. A beautiful flower detached from a near branch and flew with the breeze, landing finally on Stitch's lap. He looked at the flower: it was that kind of flowers Lilo liked, because reminded of her mom. He took the flower from his lap and placed it on Lilo's silky hair, near of her ear. He leaned over her and placed a quick peck on her cheek. Lilo widened her eyes when she felt his lips upon her cheek, and after he pulled away, she brought one hand to her cheek:

-You're right, Lilo. Stitch wouldn't do the same if Lilo died… if Lilo died, Stitch would die too. Stitch would never overcome your death… I would feel lost without you, and without your love I would die… remember your love is what keeps me alive, since I had my glitch… I just… I just want you to know… Stitch always tried to talk to you since meega kissed you accidentally, but there happened something that always stopped me. I just want you to know that I love you too…

Lilo lifted her head by first time, but dropped it quickly.

-Yeah, like a friend or a sister, of course…

-Naga. Stitch… I mean… I… love you.

Stitch lifted his arm hesitantly to pull her closer, but his arm just landed on her shoulder. However, Lilo kept staring at the ground. She didn't want to face him… she was afraid to do that:

-How can I know that? I mean, do you really love me?

Her question wasn't replied… not with words. She felt how the arm Stitch had on her shoulder pulled her to his body, and finally felt how something warm and furry landed on her lips. It took her some seconds to process that she had already his lips upon her own. The shock inundated her body, but after some seconds she just closed her eyes and got carried away by Stitch. Her arms lifted from her sides to surround his neck. She pulled him closer and pressed even more her lips against his; Stitch arms went down to surround her waist, pulling her closer to his body. She melted under his tight hug and started stroking his ears soft and steadily. Her action was rewarded. She felt how one of Stitch arms detached from her waist and lifted to her head, caressing it loving and gently, pulling her head closer ho his, like if he was eager to melt her lips with his. Lilo's hands went to the back of his head too, trying weakly to copy his action, to caress him and pull him the closest she could. After some seconds of strokes and caresses, their lungs started to demand oxygen inside of them. At first they ignored the lack of air, but after some seconds, it became stronger than them. Reluctantly, they started to pull away, still kissing each other's lips, not wanting at all to let go of them. Finally, they managed to pull away. They breathed deeply the oxygen into their lungs and rested; Lilo rested her head on Stitch's chest, and Stitch rested his head upon Lilo's head. They remained hugging just like when they started to kiss: she had her arms surrounding his neck and he had his arms wrapping her waist; no one of them had opened their eyes yet.

After some seconds of resting, Lilo opened her eyes and pulled Stitch away. Stitch opened his eyes and stared into her eyes, still holding her waist on his arms:

-What was that for?

Stitch smiled lovingly at her as he stared into her eyes. He loved those eyes indeed and especially now, because they were glistening with a sparkle of joy and sheer love:

-Because I love you, sweetheart.

She smirked at him and kissed his lips quickly.

-Really? How much?

-More than anything…

-Uh-huh? What else?

-I love you more than… more than coconut cake and coffee —Stitch smiled at her.

Lilo just smiled at him and scratched his ears as she closed her face to his:

-Wow, then it must be serious…

Stitch didn't stop her. Her lips met now with his, and he just pulled her closer by her waist.

Unknown to them, a young, pretty woman with a white dress watched the lovers from the ground and smiled. A strong and young man was beside of her, looking at them with a huge smile too. He diverted his eyes from the two little lovebirds and looked at his wife:

-So, what do you think about them, sweetheart?

The woman kept staring at them, but still replied:

-You know, honey? They remind me of our first kiss. Remember that day, when we were still teenagers?

He laughed as he hugged his wife and kissed her silky black, wavy hair:

-How could I forget it? I remember we were at the Mai Puli beach, after a great surfing evening and listening some Elvis records… I will never forget that day…

-Neither will I… she likes Elvis now too, just like her daddy and mommy —she smiled at him —you know? I wished she was able to see us right now.

-Maybe that wouldn't be a good idea…

-Why?

He smiled lovingly and looked back at the two friends. He saw how Stitch took her between his strong arms and carried her down. Both of them were laughing about something, enjoying each others company:

-I think I would get jealous of him because he has now my little baby —he said as he pointed to Stitch. The woman just laughed:

-Please!!! She's turning into a teenager now. She's not a little baby now… she's not the little six years old baby we left five years ago. Now she's in love, and right there is her true love.

-Okay, I know, but you know, Lani? She will be always my baby, even when she gets forty years old or older.

Lani smiled at him:

-She will be my baby always too, Kale. Now look at them. They seem so happy with each other. I know they have a future together, and that makes me happy. Lilo has found true love.

-Okay, at least I rather him than that red haired boy Lilo liked first. That's really sweet, but we have to leave now, you know? We haven't too long. Come on, let's go —he said as he kissed his wife. Both of them disappeared with a soft flash. They were happy, because they knew that their baby had already found the true love, and knew she had still a lot to live for along with him, because they loved each other, and knew that he would protect her by the rest of their lives.

_**THE END**_

**Well, here's the great ending!!! Hope you enjoyed the story, and hope that I didn't confuse you on certain parts. Now that I've been reading my story since the first chapter, I've noticed that I've really improved my grammar, and I hope I still can improve it. At least I think I can explain myself. Well, I have nothing else to say. See you in next story!!! **

**P.S. I have drawn already the scene where Lilo and Stitch are kissing. If you want to see it, just enter to www.liloexp626. to enter my gallery and seing the picture. Its name is "Love kiss".**_**  
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